Two Moons: Snow In Summer
by Danowsawa
Summary: Some time has passed with Kyra and Colin living together in peace. However, when Colin falls ill, it threatens both of their futures together. With Ascal having disappeared, and with no answers, the two make their way to the only place to find such things- Wyrmrest Temple. But within the wild terrain of Northrend, the two of them may need even wilder assistance.
1. Lathorius' Lament

The Borean Tundra. Desirable to pretty much no one, save for the Tuskarr and a few murloc clusters, it served as an easily accessible staging point for both Alliance and Horde once Northrend came into their collective sights after the Lich King took power. Though that icy time has ended, the Tundra remains an accessible, yet rather tortuous, piece of land for adventurers, businesspeople, or even hunters setting out for the wildest and rarest of game the continent has to offer.

As many heroes arrived to take the war to the Scourge, many of the native creatures found themselves within their crosshairs, most of the time being felled for sport-simply because such things had been asked of them. This slaughter came quickly to the attention of one, Archdruid Lathorius, a rather radical member of the Cenarion Circle, and he quickly set out to stop the rampant killing of wildlife.

By his side, the devout followers of his D.H.E.T.A group fight valiantly to protect the local wildlife from any wayward adventurer who may harbor violent thoughts, the most noteworthy being, obviously, the Nesingwary's, although there was one other who was able to get underneath their skin like none other…

Lathorius sat beside his tent at a desk he had constructed himself from one of the very few trees you could have found in this place. He scribbled down various notes that he would relate to his attendants or back to the Circle, even if many of the latter thought he was nuts. These creatures were close enough to the Scourge; were they even worth saving?

His resolve remained steadfast, however, and he was always quick to intervene on behalf of the creatures here, in particular the rarest of them, as they were particularly sought after. As quick as his interventions were, he moved slowly on this day as an attendant of his rushed into his tent, the tauren's heavy voice pounding into the air.

"Gauvir has been spotted, sir," he relayed, deeply, "Not too far off, but far enough that we may not have the numbers to protect the beast."

Lathorius nodded solemnly as he rose, slowly, to his feet, "Send for Magnus and Phaestus. I'll attend to this matter myself, but I'll need their help."

Before he could leave, the curtains of the tent flew wide as a dwarf and human rushed in, saluting the elder night elf respectfully, yet boldly.

"Magnus!"

"And Phaestus!"

"At yer service!" "At your service!"

Lathorius watched them in surprise, "I believe you two have broken your record."

"Yessir!" Magnus boasted loudly, "Gonna give these hunt'rs what fer!"

"I'll handle that," the older man spoke forcefully as he walked between the two men to leave, "I just need you two to wrangle the beast and take it to safety."

"Ay, sir, but yer prize is not prized by you alone," Magnus reminded, "Are ya certain you can take on a gaggle o' hunt'rs?"

Lathorius shook his head, "For a creature so prized, there is only one so desperate so as to be as quick as us. Just one."

Magnus scoffed as he recalled the person as to whom Lathorius was referring, as Phaestus spoke shakily, "You mean Shadowmoon?"

"Precisely," the archdruid confirmed, "And I can handle her myself. Just make sure you two can get ahold of Gauvir before she does. I don't want another failure, much less to the same people."

"Ay sir!" "Yes sir!"

* * *

Once they're gotten atop their horses, the three quickly made it to a nearby collection of crags that had once been earth, torn asunder by the explosions of war. Though such conflicts had ended, the tiny caverns in the earth had served to diversify the local ecosystem, and certain creatures, like Gauvir, found themselves thriving within the steep fissures.

Lathorius stared into the abyss, concerned, as though hoping the beast wasn't within the void, but he knew the terrain would do little to deter their rival. He quickly descended from his horse and walked toward the edge of one of the crevices, looking down towards the many caves that had been borne into the rocks.

"It coulda gotten anywhere!" Magnus exclaimed as he threw his backpack on the ground, kneeling to rummage through it, "Lucky I picked up the repelling kit; should up git us right where we need ta go."

Phaestus watched him pulling out the contraption blankly, his eyes looking up toward Lathieius, "You're debasing yourself to…this…sir..?"

He slowed as his elder turned toward him with a similarly blank stare, causing Phaestus to go pale, "Oh…"

Magnus reached up, slamming his back with a wide hand, "C'mon, boy! It'll be fun! And ya got me holdin' on!"

Phaestus stared, pleadingily, at his master, though he was unmet as Lathorius made his way into the craggy canyon, "You two take that side and I'll keep over here. Just make sure when you've got it, don't hurt it, and for the love of Elune, don't knock it into the earth."

Magnus and Phaestus nodded, even if one of them did so unenthusiastically. They made their way around to the opposite cliff and Magnus rolled out a wheeled sort of cart with a crank that could repel down into the canyon while also being wheeled up and down its length. He hastily equipped Phaestus with the proper gear, though the human's face was lost in shock.

As they worked, Lathorius carefully walked down into the cavern, taking care to watch his footsteps. He came across caves and carefully examined them, though it was mostly for naught as he quietly walked along the steep pathways that wound around the cliffside. He remained steady, even through Phaestus's horrified shrieks as he was being let down.

"Now stop squirmin' now!" Magnus' voice reverberated throughout the stoned walls while Lathorius peeked into more caves, making sure to occasionally check across the way, in case he needed to alert his attendants.

About halfway down, Lathorius noticed the beast a good few feet down, across from his location. He sighed in relief as he looked around, not noticing anybody else, and called out to his two assistants, who had, by now, gotten the hang of their gnomish contraption.

"Right down here!" Lathorius shouted out, Magnus giving a thumbs up, while Phaestus simply continued clinging heavily onto the rope around his body.

As Magnus slowly wheeled his cart above, Phaestus was sideways, carefully walking along the wall, which was a magnificent feat in itself, given the amount if prayer coming from his mouth at the same time. Lathorius kept an eye out, knowing a certain somebody must be nearing them.

Sure enough, a shadow emerged down from the goat-like beast, and Lathorius shouted out, angrily, "Shadowmoon!"

Magnus perked down into the canyon to search for their rival, though his concentration wavered just barely enough as Phaestus continued walking, aware of his partner's pause. The cart suddenly tipped to its side, sliding quickly toward the edge.

The cries of Phaestus shrilled in the air as he began to fall, but Magnus quickly threw out a large battle axe from some mystical inventory within his person, grasping onto the cart with one of its curved ridges, stopping it from falling.

The dwarf quickly returned to looking down the canyon, seeing a dark figure rushing up one of the slopes, toward where Lathorius had indicated. He gave an angry huff of air and pulled the cart back up in one motion before running down the top of the crevice.

"We got it, master!" he shouted out loud, catching Phaestus' pale ears.

Lathorius watched the figure skillfully run up embankments, hop over pitfalls in the rocky walls; her eyes met his for only a brief moment, his face crowing just a shade paler at the sight. He turned to see Phaestus running like a madman along the wall, trying to keep up with his spotter, his eyes nearly popping out their sockets as he tried to concentrate on the beast that just came into view.

He could tell that he would reach Gauvir first, and as though his mind had transcended into some spiritual plane of existence, he gave a raucous shout, at the top of his lungs, as he eyed his target, bound and determined to claim it.

Gauvir noticed the sudden movement and whined aloud and began hopping around in a panic. Phaestus watched carefully, and as he came close enough, he jumped off the cragged walls, reaching out for the frantic beast. His movements became a slow-motion blur to him, and for a split second, he could feel the cool ivory of the beast's horn against three fingers. He desperately tried to grasp on, but couldn't, though it was enough to through Gauvir off balance.

Phaestus flew wildly into the distance as Magnus suddenly stopped his momentum to reset, but Gauvir desperately tried to find its footing, and unable to do so, the creature fell sidelong toward the edge of the cliff. Lathorius watched with wide eyes, taking two steps back, pushing one leg off the wall and ran recklessly at his own cliff, jumping mightily at the opposite side of the gorge. He flew through the air with his limbs outstretched, and at the same time, grabbed Gauvir around its midsection as his fingernails forcefully drove into the rock of the canyon, one if his feet managing to rest on a small bit of stone that jutted out from the wall.

He stared into the tan wall in front of him, gasping a mile a minute as his life flashed before his eyes. The beast itself was incredibly shocked as well, and simply hung there, staring down into the abyss.

Lathorius looked up to find out how high hed have to climb, but his eyes only met that dark figure, clad in thick pelt surrounding a lite figure; the only noticeable features in that darkness beneath the fur being two dark eyes, staring back at him, rather sinister in their shape.

The druid sighed as he lowered his head, rolling his eyes, "Shadowmoon."

"Archdruid."

"I already know what you're going to say," the elder muttered under his breath, more knowingly than annoyingly.

Shadowmoon nodded just slightly, a smoky, feminine voice releasing into the air, "I'll help the beast up, then help you up."

"We both know it's not that simple."

Shrugging, the woman continue, "I wouldn't let you die. This wouldn't be nearly as fun without heroes."

Lathorius sighed, knowing there to be little alternatives. Even if Magnus and Phaestrus emerged from nowhere, Shadowmoon shouldn't be considered being above cutting ropes. The archdruid remained for a moment before giving in, pressing his forehead into the chalky stone and raising the goatish beast up to where Shadowmoon could grab a hold of it, albeit with a struggle on her part. With his arm raised still, he extended his arm, closing his eyes in a hoping prayer that her word would be kept.

He looked up slowly, finding nobody.

* * *

Soon enough, Phaestus came back along, and grabbing ahold of his master, Magnus hoisted the two of them up. With his fingers injured on one hand, Lathorius wrapped it up in bandages before walking back down into the canyon, much to Phaestus' chagrin.

"Sir!" he shouted, "We need to get you looked at!"

The blistering voice of Magnus appeared from nowhere, "Aye, master! We need to get ya looked at!"

Lathorius ignored the calls, only focusing on finding whatever remained of Gauvir. This had become a rather annoying trend for the man, as Shadowmoon had become increasingly bold in her tactics. She had begun, early on, with very poor attempts at felling these creatures, and Lathirius' boys could easily outmaneuver her, but recently, her skills had surpassed theirs.

She was affiliated with a small band of hunters, who mostly hunted for sport, but also were known leatherworkers. Oftentimes, they would hunt down the beasts that D.H.E.T.A. held dear, kill and skin them, and then leave the meat to be scavenged, feeding the next generation of beasts. While cyclical, it counteracted Lathorius' ideals, greatly so, and with every kill, it only increased his resolve.

He continued on, eventually losing Phaestus to the human's desire to relinquish his contraption, and came to a deeper cave within the wall. His ears perked; the sound of knife slicing against sinew burnt his eardrums as he entered deeper.

"So you bagged another one," Lathorius excoriated, "You know if you continue on this path, you'll never be satisfied. There will always be bigger and bigger game."

The sliding stopped echoing through the cave, a deep voice replacing it, "You protect these animals, but if the roles were reversed, they'd have no qualms eating us up for supper."

"We're better than that."

"Are we?"

Her sarcastic tone brought a quiet to the conversation, though Lathorius flinched as the skinned body of Gauvir was thrown down to his feet. He studied it sadly, before peering back further into the cave.

"If you keep hunting, perhaps the roles will reverse one day," he muttered, more to himself, knowing she had most likely already gone.

He bent down to pick up the carcass and quietly left the cave, not even bothering with handing it off the Phaestus once they'd met up again. He simply walked along, as though a part of him had gone with Gauvir, though it wasn't anything for Phaestus to be shocked by. It was becoming more and more common, after all.

* * *

In the dark wilderness of Borean Tundra, underneath the starlight of night time, there stood a single fire among a small collection of rocks, surrounded by a small band of four hunters. While missing their fifth, they already knew she would be returning soon, hopefully with good news.

Three of them sat by the fire, chatting and examining the various tools they all lived by. One in particular, a draenei, carefully pulled rag along a small knife, polishing its sharp edges, ensuring it to be perfect.

"And here's Remnaar, showing off his stroking skills," cackled the blood elf sitting beside him.

"You wish you had these hands at your service," Remnaar shot back, "For a man who fancies antiques more than women, it doesn't surprise me at all that, one, you'd call to me, and two, you'd be so petty."

The elf, Parvaen, frowned, "No wonder Ulric says your tongue is sharper than your steel…"

Remnaar gave him a grin before continuing his activity as Parvaen turned to the other man around the fire, a distant-looking tauren named Tandkota, and tried to get a look and the tablet in his hand. He'd been writing for a while, and while Parvaen had kept his curiosity in check, this new boredom pushed him over the edge.

"You're not my family," Tandkota spoke in a voice that rumbled the ground around them, "So this note is not for you."

Parvaen grinned, "Come oooon; I just want to take a peek."

Tandkota looked up toward Remnaar, who gave a grin, forcing Parvaen to return to his spot with a frown, not wanting another verbal lash from his partner.

This "enterprising" group of skinners had been started by Ulric Walthorn, a human who'd taken to the sport quite readily since his childhood. Raised near the forests of Silverpine, he grew up with the ferocity of nature, and only knew it as such: a collection of creatures, ready to maim and consume you if given the chance. He found it a great deal of strength to defeat nature at, what he thought to be, its own game. In that sense, guns and, to most extents, bows were not allowed in his group.

The three of them hadn't always been in the group, and while Ulric was the leader, there was no clear-cut hierarchy among the newcomers. They all claimed respect through merit, and they all were required to earn their keep. Many had come and gone from this group, in fact, and Remnaar, the oldest of this group, had seen many friends sent away for not bringing in enough leather to impress the master.

Parvaen scurried up to Tandkota, shaking his arm hastily, trying to get a taste of the tauren's writing, "Okay, I'm getting impatient, you ox. Let me see!"

While most would have never thought of such a thing, Parvaen and Tandkota had been friends for some time, so the elf was keen on Tandkota's gentle-giant attitude when it came to such things. The large man simply did his best to shrug his compatriot from his arm, slowly turning his snout toward him.

"And tell mother that I have elven blood on my hands."

Parvaen watched him, shocked, before looking back at the tauren's tablet, "It doesn't say that!"

He returned to his grasping as Remnaar stood onto his hooves, lightly making his way up the small embankment near the fire. On this night, Ulric had taken to loneliness, simply sitting farther away, watching the distance. Remnaar assumed he was keeping watch for D.H.E.T.A., but even outside of that, the man had become incredibly silent.

"Sunlight should come earlier tomorrow," the draenei muttered, quietly, "I'd say we should start sleeping if we're to leave early for Valiance Keep."

Ulric turned a stare down toward him, his eyes glinting, suddenly, in the moonlight behind his darkly thick beard, "I suppose we can't wait much longer. What Shadowmoon has perfected in finess, she certainly lacks in time management. We'll draw straws to see who keeps watch until she returns, then she'll keep watch the rest of the night."

Remnaar nodded, an inquisitive twist of his beard signaling his next question, "Sir, I don't mean to imply dissension, but…you aren't thinking of sending her off are you?"

The human stared off, a soft hum escaping from him as he thought about the question, "Are you three wanting her gone?"

"Oh, god no! Even excusing her talents when it comes to the hunt, she's great around the fire, and given her quiet loyalty, it's quite nice when surveying shadier alleyways knowing she's somewhere with an eye out."

Ulric nodded, replying further, "Her rebellious tendencies as of late are concerning, but no, it hasn't crossed my mind to rid ourselves of her. I've been meaning to discuss this with her, but given D.E.H.T.A.'s increased boldness in their tactics, I haven't the time. Perhaps once we get back to Valiance to trade. There may be something to her rebellion than just-"

His eyes snuck a glance away from the camp before he hopped down from his perch, pointing into the distance, "Speaking of."

Shadowmoon, covered head to toe with her large pelt, seemed like just a shadow in the dark as she trudged toward the camp, staring forward confidently, knowing she wasn't being followed. Tandkota was the next to notice her, while Parvaen was last, his attention already scurried enough.

Where he was usually last to notice, he was always first to acknowledge, and Parvaen quickly rose his hands in triumph as Shadowmoon gained on the campfire, "Check that out!"

The pelt of Gauvir was so massive that she had it wrapped around her shoulders, as well as holding it in her arms, still having some left over, nearly dragging at the ground. As she way still a ways away, Remnaar took the time to finish his talk, leaning toward Ulric without turning.

"Rebellious or not, she does deliver," the draenei quipped neutrally.

Remnaar walked to join his companions as Shadowmoon arrived, her neutral expression turning into a grin as she watch the three begin to cheer her on, excitedly. Parvaen, specifically rushed up to her, rubbing his hand along the velvety soft fur, marveling at its texture.

"By the gods," he spoke up, admiringly, "For such a creature, to do such a delicate job; it must have taken you an hour to skin."

Shadowmoon shrugged, clocking a grin, "Try ten minutes, with Lathorius himself tracking me down."

Parvaen watched her, shocked, stepping away from her and pointing, dramatically, "You're superman."

She grinned once more, continuing on toward came, catching a fist-bump from the largest among them, Tandkota nodding approvingly, "To think, you used to not be able to cut the shin-skin off a silithid. You've grown much quicker than I though, young one."

Shadowmoon smiled happily, reaching around to hug the large man; a place of warm comfort she had found to be a home away from home in her early days of this ground. Tandkota gently patted her back before she pulled away, going on toward Remnaar, who grasped at the pelt, pulling it over toward himself to fold it properly.

"Presentation, still, my dear," he chuckled, carefully tucking in the four limbs of fur so as to make it a uniform shape of wooly cloth, "Still, excellent job."

Nodding again, Shadowmoon gave a quick pat to his forearm before turning and continuing on, the jovial attitude of the others suddenly fading as she approached Ulric, who was leaning against a large stone, his eyes critically watching her approach. She returned the stare, neutrally, stopping just a few paces away from him.

Despite Remnaar's expertise, Shadowmoon held out the large block of woolen fabric before dropping it at the man's feet. Ulric watched it fall, staring at the pile for a moment, his eyes lifting up toward his female companion.

The others stood back, watching with bated breath, their breaths not even making a sound as Ulric finally spoke up, in his dark, subdued manner, "Nice job."

Parvaen and Remnaar happily shouted and clasped hands in triumph as Shadowmoon whipped around, bringing her arm in front of herself for a bow. She returned to the group amidst a burst of high-fives, the four of them celebrating in her triumph.

Ulric, however, bent down to pick up the soft pelt, folding it once more, turning away from the others to carefully stack it among their collection. His eyes caught another pelt, stacked below the others; a black, wiry sort of fur. His neck itched for a moment. Had it not been there earlier?

He shrugged it off, walking off toward his sleeping bag, his voice roaring out among the ruckus, "Shadowmoon! You're on watch duty until we leave in the morning."

There was no retort, but Ulric knew they would take turns anyway. He didn't particularly care; they would need their rest for their trek to Valiance Keep.


	2. Shadowmoon Visitors

Colin open his eyes, a cracking pain running through his back as it fell into the ground. His eyes now just opened, the bright sun hit him, just underneath the shadow of a figure, standing above him with a sword in his hand. Colin had no feeling to resist, even once the man, his eyes just bright enough to break through his shadow, lifting his shapely sword toward Colin's neck.

"Checkmate," came a dramatically deep voice, just before the sword pulled back away from Colin.

The man sheathed his weapon and leaned down, taking Colin's arm and quickly pulling him to his feet, leaving him with a quick word of advice, "That's why you don't ever expose your calves. I'll punish you for it every time."

Colin reached to his back to massage it, finding the aching pain to remain, "Yeah, got it. Why did you have to knee me in the back though?"

The man shrugged, "Sorry; that one was an accident. It's not too bad, I hope."

"An accident?" Colin questioned, though the man simply grinned.

Seething underneath the man Colin had come to know over the course of this week, Nylfallas, he shook his head, "Nothing I don't need to get accustomed to, I suppose."

Nylfallas nodded as he patted Colin on the back, rather forcefully, "Hey, you get knocked down seven times and you get back up eight. It's a great trait to have; it'll get you farther than any skill you could have."

"And I've got little of that," Colin grinned.

Nylfallas tossed Colin his own sword, turning to grab another, "You have more than you know. You say you've had to be scrappy; just keep that in mind."

Colin examined his sword appraisingly, "Yeah, that usually involves me talking my way out of things."

His opponent shrugged, "How far will that get you with the dragonflight eyeing you?"

With a gentle sigh, Colin held up his sword, "How far will this sword get me?"

Nylfallas chuckled deeply, "Not much more, but you've already encountered moments where words have no meaning. The silithids don't speak, at least not any of our languages, so we cant exactly convince them otherwise. All we have are our weapons."

Colin sighed again, carefully approaching the man, slowly, "Okay, so pretend you're a silithid… Got it."

The elf grinned before also assuming his stance, though much more confidently than Colin ever could have. His human counterpart was as uncomfortable as ever behind his blade, harkening Nylfallas back to his own early days, learning swordsmanship from his father. Kelaeth wasn't particularly interested in the finer parts, but Nylfallas relished the grace that could be had between a man and his blade. His father was much the same; Eldris may have held his life right in time with his fellow Illidari, but much like the Silverwings and their nightsabers, his best friend on many occasions was his own sword.

Despite the nostalgia, Nylfallas also knew Colin would learn nothing if he were to go easy on him, so as Colin approached and clumsily swung at him, he quickly dodged and pulled his sword up toward Colin's neck. Suddenly, however, before he could make it, a flame burst through the air as Colin's hand waved toward him, forcing Nylfallas back a few steps.

"I forgot you knew some spells," the elf commended, impressed, "Why not combine the two more often? You could make it a while new thing: "the battlemage". Catchy, isn't it?"

Colin sighed lightly, "And here I was under the impression that you were some serious Cenarion Circle, battle-hardened veteran of centuries."

Nylfallas grinned, but his head turned toward the trees as a loud voice shot out, the unmistakably authoritative shout of a former head of Teldrassil's entire collection of Sentinels, "What on earth are you two doing?!"

Colin immediately raised his sword to point toward Nylfallas, "Hey, he's the one who practically dragged me out here!"

Kyra stared at her brother with droll eyes, though he only shrugged with a smirk, "He seemed interested in wanting to learn to fight."

With a groan, Kyra slouched her shoulders, "We don't need any of that anymore. Not anymore; we're more than happy just having a home here in the forests of Stonetalon, going on peaceful adventures to see the world…"

She looked at Colin as though waiting for his confirmation, though he only shrugged back, "I still need to make sure I'm able to protect you."

Kyra covered her face with her hands in exasperation, imagining some event where Colin might just fly off the handle and get killed for her sake. Her face rose up from her hands and her eyes peered back at him as he mentioned toward Nylfallas.

"I mean, look at him; he could probably protect Esaria from a major silithid with one arm tied behind his back."

Nylfallas grunted to himself, turning to Colin with dismay, "Believe me, a human couldn't live enough lifetimes to stand next to a Cenarion soldier. I respect your admiration, and your dedication to my sister, but truly, if there were any adversary with which she could not handle, it may not be worth attempting yourself."

The man heartily slammed his hand over Colin's shoulder with a grin, "Unless you have a death wish or something."

Colin sighed deeply, "Some would say I've already persevered through such things, but no, I don't."

Nylfallas nodded approvingly, "Ahh, yes. I don't mean to nail you down or discourage you; I'm just making sure you understand the facts is all."

"I like you," he approved, patting Colin's shoulder further, "I'd hate to see you bit off too much and die, that's all. Especially considering the gift you've been given."

Kyra's face grew cold as she muttered, "You, uh, aren't going to tell anybody, right?"

Nylfallas laughed as he spun toward her, "About the human that will be seen alive a thousand years from now?! No, of course I won't!"

Kyra groaned as she rubbed her face, Nylfallas turning to leave as he bent down to grab ahold of his weapon, "Now, speaking of Esaria, I do believe my poor hostess of a sister has left her inside, alone, so we should be getting back."

Kyra smirked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder, "There's our druid in the shed; she's far from alone."

"She's quiet, not stupid," Nylfallas shot back as he began toward the house in the distance, "It's time we wrapped up this session, anyway. Maybe next time, kid. Until then, I believe you wanted to be party to a ceremony of Elune, correct?"

Colin nodded, "I mean, I figure it _is_ the least I can do."

Nylfallas smiled as he went on, leaving the others behind him. Kyra she turned back toward Colin, who distantly trudged on toward their home himself, only stopping as Kyra reached over to block his path, watching his far-off face. He didn't turn back to her, but she spoke up anyway, more at him than to him at this point, given his mood.

"I love you."

Colin sighed, surrendering his frustration, turning to Kyra and wrapping an arm around her, "I love you too."

She eyed him as they began walking, "I don't ever say that just to have you repeat it; I sincerely want to remind you."

"The same reason I reply," Colin noted, though his face remained distant, "That, and I truly enjoy the silence that sometimes occurs when you're not expecting it, and you look up at me in surprise."

Kyra's face turned a twinge of scarlet, though she wasn't embarrassed much by his words but by how observant he had been. Even she wondered why it surprised her, sometimes, to hear those words from him, though it still would excite her upon turning her head only to see Colin watching her from afar as though absolutely mesmerized simply by her appearance.

Kyra smiled as she began walking in time with him so as to clutch around his body as well, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked, "This last year has been the greatest time of my life."

"Really?" Colin questioned with a smirk, "Certainly you're not talking about rebuilding after than knoll pack came through and tore down our storage room!"

"No, but after that, rebuilding it together; it was fun," Kyra admitted, whimsically, "I'm not talking about the storm that nearly took the roof of, either. I meant the many nights you've held me close, those times making food together, and you swipe some ingredient on my face just for an excuse to lick it off. You know, the magical times."

"Magical?" Colin questioned, sincerely, "I think your definition differs from mine."

Kyra smiled, "The magical thing being that, everything good that we have, we'll have for many, many years."

"Yeah," Colin nodded, leaning over to kiss her forehead, "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

The two walked slowly, step-by-step together, until they found their way back home. It was a modestly sized little cottage of a place, built up by and around the many dense trees of Stonetalon, further up the mountain that even the lumber-seeking Horde wouldn't venture. The nights were dark and whispy, akin to the darkly purple hues of Teldrassil, but the days still brought sunlight, and in that cycle, Kyra had come to feel more like a human. With time moving along, visibly, each day felt more precious –more worthwhile- and she had begun to think in terms of how to make each day special.

Colin did much the same, though the two still managed to have something of a fun time. They would still go off and wander along the world, visiting some friends, or simply just to travel around. Most all of Kyra's family had managed a visit, save for her parents, Kelaeth, and her second-youngest sister, Syheath, but the two had managed a trip or two up to Hyjal, once again, to visit; the three still recovering from their hellish encounter a year ago atop that peak.

Kyra turned toward the open door of their storage shed, scanning over the large stack of hay from within, always expecting to see it begin to collapse as the man within the small stood up, though, as it had been for the last year or so, it hadn't ever happened. Colin caught her stare and emulated her, though his own glare was accompanied by words.

"Still not awake, huh?" he asked, "You just know it'll happen when we least expect it. Maybe when we're gone or, you know, some dragonkin will be attacking our home and he'll burst out, magic blazing."

Kyra grinned, "He'll understand if we're gone. I'm just worried about him wandering off on some ill-fated adventure. I've hardly spoken to him and I'm still somewhat worried."

"Well, cutting hair will do that to you," Colin acknowledged as the two continued toward the door of their home, "I'll start talking to him, too, while I'm in there. I think I was looking for something, even, and started asking him where it'd gone to."

Kyra nodded as she pulled away, allowing her to open the door, the two entering to see Nylfallas standing in the middle of the room, looking around in awe as he stared up toward the ceiling, "You know, I'm still surprised by how big you managed to make this place. And this vein of wood here…"

He pointed to a blueish streak of wood that ran through many of the boards that composed the house, Colin's eyes following his finger, "Yeah, we managed to procure some wood from Teldrassil itself."

Nylfallas looked at him suspiciously, making Colin laugh, "No, it's not as sketchy as it sounds. Tyrande was more than happy to offer a sliver to the Sister who reclaimed one of their most promising druids from the clutches of Fandral."

Nodding approvingly, Nylfallas turned to sit behind his wife, Esaria, who'd been sitting, cross-legged, in the couch, listening to the others. Colin made his way toward another chair while Kyra grabbed a bowl that had been sitting, quite prominently, atop the small fireplace they'd managed to construct. She carefully laid it upon the small table which all the chairs had circled, before sitting down herself, slowly pouring water into the unassuming bowl.

"Ahh," Nylfallas nodded, reverently, "Esaria, dear, Colin hasn't had a chance to see many of our elven rituals, but he's very interested. Would you mind helping with the shan'dora?"

His wife nodded gently as she made her way onto her knees in front of the table as her husband followed along beside her. Colin watched, intrigued, but also slightly worried by the cryptic sight, his eyes looking up to Kyra, who smiled back.

"It's just a small thing," she confirmed, lightly, "It's to purify water in case there aren't any moonwells available for healing or prayer or whatever."

Nylfallas nodded, "Indeed. We employ many priestesses simply to perform this act. Esaria was one of them, actually, who followed along to Silithus."

"Yes," Esaria confirmed through a quiet, crystalline voice that seemed would shatter were she to speak much louder.

Her hand just barely sunk into the waters as her husband reached over to hold the bowl in place. The water hadn't filled the bowl, giving it about half of the vessel's volume to move as the still water began to move, swirling gently around Esaria's motionless hand.

Colin was so fixated on the suddenly moving water that he hadn't even noticed the priestess' eyes until he suddenly noticed them brightening from the corner of his own eyes. Her delicate lips spoke silently, as if speaking into the beyond, her eyes as still as her hand as they stared off into that same abyss. Suddenly, the water slowed to a stop, the same ghostly property from the moonwells seemingly transitioning into the, what used to be, unpurified water. It lacked the tiny wisps bouncing across its surface, but just by staring at it, Colin could tell that his hand could run throw the water, uninhibited by any resistance water normally took into its properties.

"Wow," Colin muttered in astonishment, "I mean, I didn't doubt it could be dome but, seeing it like this… It's very, uh, mystical, I suppose."

Kyra grinned as she stood to collect some jars to capture the moon-like water, "We're all so closely tied to it from birth, we sometimes forget how astonishing it can be to others."

Nylfallas spoke up as well as he pulled his hands back, helping his wife dry her hands off on a small handkerchief, "So long as it's done for some use. Cenarius and pretty much any of our deities don't want our magic debases to the level of parlor tricks. In this instance, you'll have same for your journey to Teldrassil, should you need it, and my sister mentioned using some to help acquaint you to some of our customs or rituals."

The man smirked as he rubbed his beard, "Believe me, we know our rituals. That comes with the territory; your mother a Shadowleaf and your father a former Illidari."

Kyra knelt down at the opposite end of the table, carefully pouring the ghastly water into a collection of small jars while Colin replied with a chuckle, "Well, it must have already rubbed off on me, then."

Nylfallas eyed him critiquingly, "Hey, now don't sell yourself short. Despite anything I said earlier, you've more than earned a spot at my sister's side, and within my family. Regardless of whether or not you have that print on your cheek there."

Colin had surmised as much once the ritual had begun that, perhaps, his cheek had lit up, though by now, he'd been used to it enough that it failed to bother him at this point. Esaria stood and took the now-empty bowl and, with the same handkerchief, dried it out.

"You're strong-willed," Nylfallas noted, "And these days, that's worth much. Plus, were we to object anyway, my sister would assuredly, uh, "raise hell", as it were."

"You're damn right," Kyra smirked, "So you two are heading out?"

"Yes," Esaria replied through the same crystalline voice.

Nylfallas stood beside her and gathered what few bags they had brought, "A job is never done for two of the Cenarion Circle, especially now with this renewed interest in those sands. I'd hate to imagine why a faction's flag is so important to be hung _there_ , but I digress."

Colin smiled as he stood as well, the two giving their goodbyes before heading out the door, though Nylfallas halted himself, raising a finger in pause, "Now, about that druid…"

Kyra stared at him with a grimace, nearly groaning before he could continue, "Make sure he has fresh hay before you leave. It'd be a shame for his roost to be insulting to him were he to awaken."

The two sighed in relief as Nylfallas smiled, "But you didn't hear that from me. I'm not even aware of a druid here."

He held his wife around her shoulders as they went on through the door, disappearing behind the wooden door, allowing Colin a moment to dry the sweat at his brow, "He needs to work on establishing context earlier."

Kyra frowned, shaking her head, "The guy is always by the book; I'm shocked he even visited while we were harboring a fugitive. If not for his wife's assurances, I would still be frightened of him letting the word out!"

She carefully collected the four jars and took them over to a small chest of drawers, laying the out gently, bending over the wooden piece of furniture as she spread out an area for them. As she stood up, her back met with Colin's torso, who had made his way over quietly enough, his arms wrapping around her midsection as his chin fell to her shoulder.

"You know, it almost feels like I have something of a family now," Colin admitted quietly as Kyra's hands rubbed down his arms until enclosing over his own pair, "I mean, I'm assuming Nylfallas is just being a big brother, what with his no-nonsense stuff."

"And his absolute lack of tact," Kyra frowed.

Colin chuckled, "And his lack of tact, yes. I mean, your family is great; they've all been so kind to me."

"We're you expecting them all to hate you?" Kyra laughed as she turned her head over toward his.

He shrugged as best he could, "I don't know. Nylfallas sort of hinted at it, but I figured I'd have to prove myself to them or something."

"I'm sorry," Kyra began, wryly enough, "Are you saying that resurrecting our father wasn't enough?"

Colin stared off into space, "Oh. Yeah, I guess that would do it."

Kyra grinned as she spun her body around in his arms, wrapping her own arms around him, "Besides, I'd "raise hell" if not allowed by your side, remember?"

"Yeah," Colin smiled, "Funny, Ascal said pretty much the same thing when I first ran into him. I was chosen because, where one of us goes, the other is sure to follow."

Kyra nodded, "And with my family, we may just have some reenforcements."

"Oh good," Colin sounded aloud in amazement, "If you got the whole gang together…"

"Pfft," Kyra scoffed between a laugh of her own, "You wish you had so much power at your hand!"

"I'm only saying!" Colin assured, playfully, "By the way, I meant to ask, and I know it's come up before, but Nylfallas and Esaria are married. I thought night elves didn't concern themselves with that kind of thing."

Kyra shrugged, "I mean, our two brightest stars are married, aren't they? Nothing is set in stone or anything; couples pledge fealty in whatever way they see fit."

She eyed him suspiciously, "Why? Are you planning something?"

Colin laughed, a bit goofily, as he turned his head away, hiding a blush, "N-No! I was just curious is all! I mean, I was just about to joke about our children having large shoes to fill, but that seemed a bit weird to speak of before we talked about everything else that supposedly leads to…that…"

Sputtering into an endless torrent of nervous speech, Colin was only rendered silent by Kyra's eyes meeting his once he turned back toward her. They appeared so very distant, peering off into some far-off future that only she could fathom at that moment- that invariably night elf trait that Colin had come to pick up on. He watched her eyes, returning her stare as if he'd been caught defenseless, especially as a lump grew in his throat.

"Children?"

Colin's eyes shifted away nervously, "I mean, that _is_ a possibility, right?"

Kyra didn't nod, though in her composure, Colin could tell that she'd been caught speechless, probably meaning that he was correct. Without looking, his hands found her arms, running down their length behind him until he found her own two hands, her fingers just barely able to open up, allowing his own fingers to entangle around hers.

"I mean, we've given ourselves to each other with no though of it; I just figured it was more complicated that or some- You know what, if this is too awkward, we can just move on to something else! I need to prepare dinner and, you know-"

He was suddenly reduced to silence as Kyra's lips gently picked at his neck, burning his skin from surprise, her voice stern, but still in a whisper almost, "No, it- It's possible, I just…hadn't really thought about it is all. Like, ever."

Colin laughed nervously, gently pulling away to alleviate his nerves, "I-I mean, I didn't mean anything by it; it was just a joke, so- I mean, I really should get to dinn-"

"Would you like that?" Kyra wondered aloud, distantly, as though not knowing he'd been speaking again.

Colin sighed lightly, reaffirming his grip along her hands, "Of course. I mean, as long as you're fine with it. Not right away or anything. I mean, I honestly was just curious whether or not, you know."

Kyra gave barely a smirk, "It's a bit more complicated, but yeah, I know."

Her head fell gently against his chest, allowing him to release his grip from her hands and, instead, find her shoulders, carefully rubbing her back as he lowered his head onto hers, doing his best to cover as much of her as he could in his embrace.

"I mean, we have next to forever," Colin noted, sweetly.

He felt the slightest of nods against his chest before the two simply remained there, held together by one another. Their visitors had been there for almost a week, and more so to save Colin from embarrassment, these two hadn't done much in the way of affection. They'd tried, but Esaria had them caught in a curious stare, and that was the end of that, Colin figured. In that time, they'd missed each other's beating hearts, their bodies, their whispers, their touch. Though, given the recent revelations, their embrace felt warmer than usual, and not simply due to Colin's red cheeks.

* * *

A/N: We're back! It was great to write other stories, but I've long been obsessed with this story and its ending, so it's great to finally return to it and start again :D I hope you all enjoy this story from here on out- it will certainly be more 'worldly' than the previous two parts, but I hope I can keep it as 'personal' as I think the first two parts were as well. In any case, I hope you all love these characters as much as I've come to love them as well!


	3. Things From Teldrassil

Colin bent over the countertop as he gently cut through a row of various herbs he had gathered a few days ago with Nylfallas, who had taken the opportunity to teach this human, at the same time, how to handle a surprise naga ambush- a particularly non-existent venture upon the mountain, and a situation that Colin had already handled in the past anyway. Still, Colin was indeed sincere in his request, and he had actually asked _all_ of Kyra's siblings to do what they could to help him strengthen himself in whatever way they could offer.

In true form, for instance, Vylira had snuck into their home in the night, being found the next morning simply sipping at a cup of tea on the couch, reading a book- turning the tables and actually placing the burden of a masterful entrance on her hosts. She then did her best to teach some rudimentary semblance of grace while in combat- a lesson she ensured they would pick up at a later date. Vylira was supreme in her ability to weave her way in, around, or through enemies in order to exploit their weaknesses, and she was hopefully that Colin could learn a thing or two.

Nylfallas had, of course, taken him into swordplay, though his younger brother, Aaleas, simply forced Colin into a spider's den with nothing but a knife, telling him to escape with one hand in his pocket. Kyra took the punctual opportunity to explain her brother's somewhat harsh pranks while rubbing salve on Colin's arms for him.

Y'eanel had visited as well, though, as a "legitimate" priestess, she could only offer to teach Colin some healing spells, as well as some semblance of herbalism. This changed when Colin accidentally made the scar from the previous event worsen, forcing Y'eanel to begin casting some rather sinister holy magic on Colin, "so he could understand the flip side of their magic". Kyra took a quick opportunity to explain her sister's short-lived membership in a warlock's club before re-dedication herself to the Priestesses as she helped Colin sew up those same scars from earlier.

Syheath, the second youngest to Kyra, never visited, nor did Colin even really know much about her. Kyra never spoke about her, though not for any mal intent; she simply had no further information to give. She knew that she'd enjoyed animal pelting as a child and had grown into a fine leatherworker. During the boom of champions to Northrrnd, she'd gone along to hunt that same foreign game, never to be heard from again, save for the occasional letter home, though they were most always addressed to her parents. If pushed to explain what he'd learned from _her_ , Colin might have answered that his introversion had been bolstered by her story.

Starting tomorrow, Colin and Kyra were to head off up north to help Kyra's parents, Eldris and Cayssarin, return home to Teldrassil, along with their oldest child, Kel'aeth, giving Colin a chance to learn something from all of her siblings. The two of them had remained in practice as far as traveling was concerned, so such a trek wasn't so arduous to begin with, though they remained sure to prepare adequately.

Most nights before a long journey, the two took it easy and usually just made a quick meal before turning in early for a good start, as was the case in this instance. Colin carefully rubbed the herbs throughout the small piece of boar meat, his head lightly bouncing to the beat of some song he had in his head. Kyra reached across him and grabbed a small jar of spices, pouring a small amount in her hand, measuring by her eyes.

"Perfect," she muttered aloud and she wiped her hands off above a small batter mixture she'd been working on, "Say what you will, but I'm telling you, there's nothing like Azsharan spice bread. Just a tiny bit of this stuff and you'll be crying with how good it is."

Colin grinned, "You say that as if I have an opinion on the matter."

Shrugging, Kyra began rolling the ball of dough out on the counter, smiling mischieviously, "It's not like I enjoy knowing most of my opinions also belong to you simply by default. Just look at webwood soup; you hate that stuff, while I love it."

"Yes," Colin agreed with a shudder, "Such bitterness should only belong to some thousand year old being, not food."

Kyra scooted over slightly, playfully bumping her hip against Colin's alongside a dismissive moan, causing Colin to clarify, "I didn't mean you, honey."

She giggled lightly, "It's just funny that that's what you immediately think of when I do that."

"Trust me," Colin began as he grabbed his pan of food and shoved it carefully into the fire-lit oven of cobblestone, "After this long, I think I have a pretty good read on your behavior, ma'am."

Kyra showed a sidelong smirk as Colin walked toward her, turning to lean his back against the counter beside her, "Let's see. Hmm…"

He nodded to himself, snapping a finger before pointing at her, "When you wake up early enough to catch the sunrise, I know you enjoy staring at it for a bit."

"Easy," Kyra noted, "So I like watching the sunrise; I've still just started seeing it at all."

She grinned at him devilishly, "Come on, rookie."

Colin nodded slowly, thinking, "On those mornings after we've made love, you hold on just a bit tighter to me when I have to start getting up."

Kyra's eyes remained fixed on the dough at her hands, hiding a blush as her lips contorted in dismay, "N-Next."

Through another smirk, Colin nodded again, lowering his head in thought, "Your eyes."

He turned his head up toward her, "My whole life, I've seen elves and you can't ever tell what they're looking at- you know, their eyes just glow the same. But, being with you, I've noticed your eyes, darting back and forth when you're examining something. They move so much more than your head; they're so quick and..."

He smiled, sure enough, while Kyra's eyed shifted to watch him from their corners, her hands holding still atop that ball of dough, "And when our eyes are lost, together, in themselves, they shake ever so slightly, almost disarmingly so."

He shrugged, grinning boyishly, "Something like that."

Kyra's head fell slightly as his words ran circles in her head, "N-… Next."

Colin hummed to himself in though, rolling his eyes slightly as he ran through everything in his mind, "Hmm… There was that one time I caught you flipping your nails and scrutinizing them heavily; just staring at them as you rolled them, one at a time, between your fingers."

"Y-You saw that?!" Kyra shouted, her head whipping around in his direction.

Shrugging, Colin replied, "I just figured you were hunting for any maladies or something."

Nervously, Kyra turned away slightly, "Oh, y- yes, that's it."

She slowly went on kneading, lowering herself down closer to the dough to avoid Colin's questioning glance, his lips curving into a grin, "Why, were you doing something else?"

"Of course not!" Kyra replied heatedly, "Definitely not something I'd never do in front of you. Just totally normal stuff, you know."

Colin nodded, "I mean, you shouldn't be nervous or anything. It means you're comfortable being here; comfortable being around me. I'd love nothing more than for you to feel able to be yourself around me. C'mon, you already know a ton of weird stuff I do."

"Like what?" Kyra spoke, challengingly, as though getting back for his last observation of her.

"I don't know; you already know I'm compelled to keep lists most of the time."

Kyra eyed him, "Only when we're off journeying, which is understandable."

She turned toward him, meeting a pair of unenthused eyes as Colin sighed, causing Kyra to go on, "Hang on; how haven't I caught it?"

Colin embarrassingly reached into his pocket, pulling out a small notebook and flipping to one of the highly written-upon leaflets, clearing his throat, "Ahem. Do you want a detailed inventory of the stock room? or perhaps of the linen closet? That one has a subsequent list of items that Vylira appears to have pilfered her last time here."

Kyra watched him silently, forcing Colin to simply read aloud without direction, "Four towels, blue, 24" x 38"; two robes, embroidered with a 'K' and a 'C', purple and blue, respectively."

He paused as his finger scrolled down the small page of notebook paper, "Was inquired about a third robe, embroidered with a 'V' for "Visitor"…"

Colin looked up, blankly, "…though I assume it would stand for "Vylira" if I were to actually make such a robe."

Kyra watched him silently, her face slowly turning into a smile, "No wonder, uh, everything runs so smoothly out here."

Colin nodded, "Yes ma'am; every trip out for firewood or ingredients is always due to necessity. So see? We both have our own little quirks, noticed or unnoticed."

Kyra grinned lightly as she turned back toward the countertop, "Uh… Whenever you pull out an old book, you can't help but bring it up to your nose and smell it."

Colin nodded, his eyes peering off, "Yeah, I guess I do-"

"And I can tell when you're lost in thought because the food always comes out more done when you're thinking about me, or, I guess, your lists," Kyra continued, lightly.

She smiled, holding a hand to her chest, "And whenever we end up separated in crowded room, whenever I walk around, you always turn and watch me, as though you're able to psychically tell where I am. And when you sleep with your head on me, your heartbeat is slower while you sleep. And when-"

Colin reached over and held her hand, forcing a pause from her lips as she turned to watch him, their eyes meeting like two magnets pulled together. She smiled weakly at him, though only because his stare had weakened everything about her when they met hers like this- like they were staring through her. Colin lifted her hand to his face, closing his eyes as he took it into a kiss.

"I'm also an incredibly, unindulgently, hopeless romantic," Colin surmised aloud, "And you allow me the freedom to share every bit of that with someone else."

Kyra blushed, turning away and pulling her hand back toward her ball of dough, "Just…help me finish this, alright?"

Colin smirked as he pulled over a small bread pan, "Azshara spices, right?"

Kyra nodded, quickly, though remained silent as Colin reached over to place the pan beside her, gently leaning his head in to kiss the nape of her neck, "Sweet things come from Teldrassil anyway."


	4. The Trek to Valiance Keep

Ulric scratched his thick beard as he stared out across the small dune of sand that stood between his troupe and the mighty port of Valiance Keep. In the years since the Lich King's defeat, with no heroes to legitimize the port, it had fallen more to shadier pursuits, much like Northrend as a whole. If the cruel wildlife weren't to kill you, it was said, the Valiance Keep alleyways would be there to finish the job instead.

So notorious had the settlement become that Ulric had found great use there, specifically in the buying of tools, but also in the selling of illegal pelts, much like the one Remnaar had stuffed in his largest knapsack- that of Gauvir.

"Lots," Ulric muttered quietly, turning to Shadowmoon, who shrugged in reply.

"I'm feeling generous," she noted with a smirk, "Split the bill clear down the middle. I don't need these boys robbing me in my sleep."

Remnaar chuckled, "As if we were stupid enough to attempt it."

Shadowmoon shot him knowing glance before returning her attention to Ulric, whose serious face stole the air around the entire group, "Right. You all have your assignments; I want us all in and out. No funny business. If you run into D.H.E.T.A, turn and leave. If you run into a tough customer-"

A thundering crash from behind him forced him to turn to Tandkota, the mighty tauren having pulled his gigantic totem around and into his other hand, patting it maliciously, "We know."

Ulric watched him for just a moment before nodding, turning back to the settlement while Remnaar quickly spoke up, lightly, "And if we run into an artifact…"

"Shut up," Parvaen snidely replied, "I'll have you know, my good man, that I once-"

"Get Parvaen," Ulric answered, turning with one of his rare, devilish grins, "Quickly, at that."

The blood elf groaned dramatically, pulling his hand down his face as it shook in dismay, "If you all don't start treating me right, you'll lose me."

Unexpectedly, a monstrous hand gently grasped his shoulder, Parvaen's head spinning around quickly to find Tandkota watching over him, emotionlessly, the tauren's voice quaking the ground beneath, "You're just the new guy. Just some teasing."

Parvaen scoffed, "I know, I know; just…"

He stopped himself before revealing too much information, stealing a glance at Shadowmoon's knowing grin before beginning the walk toward Valiance Keep, "Blasting caps. Got it."

Ulric walked alongside him, wrapping a massive arm around the elf's shoulders, shaking him vigorously as the two walked, Parvaen's head beginning to spin. The other three followed behind, conversing amongst themselves as the other two fell out of earshot.

"He won't last the summer," Tandkota surmised, bluntly.

"Like hell he won't!" Shadowmoon quipped, angrily, "No way am I going back to being the new guy."

Remnaar turned to her, worryingly, "You didn't like my playful and loving little teases?"

Shadowmoon scoffed, "Playful and loving? They _might_ have been little to our boy Tandkota here, but for a measly elf like me, waking up along the trail of a well-known D.H.E.T.A. courier route is not at all "playful and loving". _Especially_ when you know they're managing to recruit more and more sinister defenders into their ranks."

"You assured us you were well-prepared to deal with "anything" when you first showed up," Remnaar shrugged, "I was just simply obliging!"

"Yes," Shadowmoon replied, her voice thick with sarcasm, "And you'll notice that, around you, I watch my tongue so much more."

The draenei nodded with a grin, "Ah, yes, that would behoove you, I would think."

She turned to Tandkota, "You were here after Remnaar was; he didn't treat you so evilly, did he?"

The large man turned to her, but Remnaar answered for him before he could reply, "I-I was a lot more subdued; I mean, that was when _I_ was the new guy!"

Tandkota took the opening to speak for himself, "He prepared beef for dinner one night. Offered me a rather large portion."

"It was funny!" Remaar claimed, stretching his arms outward.

Tandkota turned to him with a stare for what seemed like an eternity, though a minor chuckle managed to accompany a grin, "Yes. I suppose it was."

Beside them, Shadownmoon had continued into her thoughts, "…and the only constant has been Ulric."

Remnaar turned back toward her, "Hey, now; such comments could sound like a coup, y'know."

Shadowmoon shot the man a glare, "Not that. I know this is all his deal and all; I'm just shocked he's been doing this for so long. You said you've been with him for fifteen years?"

"Mm hmm," Remnaar confirmed, his lips pursed in thought, "And the oldest among us had been with him another ten before Ulric decided he wasn't worth keeping around."

He jittered with his fingers as he shot back to the others, "N-Not to make it sound so cruel! He was getting to old, and wasn't worth the effort of slowing up just for his sake. Our Master was quite kind in his request- he offered him enough gold and a nice memento. Though, there have been some, uh…"

He searched for the proper term, "Ehh… some rather 'malicious' breakings from this group. One of the reasons he's become so much less strict has been that he simply likes us, and would rather become more lenient than have to find another so agreeable."

Tandkota walked in step, his powerfully low voice emerging, "Ulric is a good man, though; don't you think, young one?"

Shadowmoon shrugged, "I never said he wasn't. I was just curious; we don't usually talk about him whenever he's around."

"Try it sometime," Remnaar goaded, "He's quite ready, usually, to recount stories of his youth. Though, from everything _I've_ heard, they're the sort of stories one often tries to forget, not recall."

Shadowmoon and the other two put on straight faces as they approached Ulric and Parvaen, the latter of which having not cheered up in the slightest, the five of them now joined at the checkpoint into the Keep. In order to curb the rising crime, the Major General of the Keep, Deegan Poore, had instituted a sort of martial law, though had refused to do much about the shadier parts of the port, simply because his men were unwilling.

A short line now led out from the Keep, each visitor being checked for any weaponry or contraband, and Ulric's band of leatherworkers were at the end, conversing between small steps forward.

"Alright, business time," Ulric concluded quietly as they approached the two guards who were checking everybody, "You all have your assignments. I expect everybody to be back here no later than three hours from now. Any longer, leave the stragglers. If you're late, you're out. If you're prevented from being on time through some malicious means-"

He turned to the group with dark eyes, "Well, that's why I don't tell you all much. You have nothing to tell under torture."

Parvaen shook at the prospect of such a thing, even if Ulric had given him the easiest task, understanding that he was still relatively new. He felt a hand upon his shoulder, turning to see Shadowmoon watching him, patting him as they made their way forward.

Ahead of them, they began to hear the guards chattering, both to themselves and to the visitors crossing into the keep, "-simply explained I'd be back in a few months."

"Well it's certainly been longer than that."

"I know, I know. I'll just take a bottle of Northrend wine home to her or somethin'. That usually does her some- Whoa, whoa there, sir."

A kindly old man had been stopped, turning slowly to the guard, whose voice softened at the realization of his age, "We're checking all bags coming through here, sir; I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

The old man groaned, but acquiesced rather quickly, handing off his pouch. The guard rummaged through it quickly, finding a small bolt of fur that easily could have been purchased over a counter somewhere. The guard peered over toward his companion, who shrugged, before returning to the old man.

"Sir, I apologize, but we're going to have to confiscate this. In cooperation with D.H.E.T.A., we're attempting to slow down the killing of game here in the Tundra as well, so we can't allow the buying or selling of fur here. If you'd like, as long as you have proof of purchase-"

Ulric remained still, but Parvaen spun around to the others, more desperately than the former would have preferred, "Wh-What do we do?!"

Remnaar reached out and grabbed the blood elf's shoulder, forcing him to turn back around, "We trust our Master."

To this, Ulric remained silent, and at the forefront of the group, none could tell how his face appeared, though as the guards sent the old man off and turned to Ulric, their faces suddenly became noticeably darker.

"Is it the five of you?" the guard questioned in a far more authoritative tone.

"Yes," Ulric nodded, "Just traveling tradesmen seeking to trade here."

The guard examined the group, his eyes quickly peering toward his companion, who was scrutinizing them as well from behind. He wasn't suspicious, but obviously understood the task of accepting five bodies to one.

"I'm going to have to check your possessions, sir. No contraband or fur, correct? You've heard the new ordinances?"

Ulric nodded, reaching for the bag that had been slung around Tandkota's shoulders, the only bag they'd brought, and rested it on the guard's small table, "Absolutely. Go on and check it out if you'd like."

The guard watched him skeptically, but turned slightly toward the desk, opening the bag and beginning to check its contents. As he did, Ulric patted him gently on the back, keeping his hand against his armor as he leaned in toward him and the bag.

"Anything wrong, sir?"

The guard stood still, not quivering, but with a noticeable sweat building on his brow. Shadowmoon followed Ulric's hand and saw that his fingers had actually worked their way through the inner workings of the guard's armor, her eyes narrowed in curiosity. The guard remained unmoved, and even his partner began to watch them with confusion.

Ulric leaned closer toward the man, his lips just barely parting as he spoke, "It'd be shame if you couldn't return home to that lovely lady of yours."

The guard coldly began to shake, but Ulric's hand managed to keep him still, avoiding detection as the guard just managed to breathe, "N-No. Everything's fine, sir. You're free to enter. Have a good day…all of you."

Ulric smiled, patting the man on the back again before grasping for his bag and passing it back to Tandkota, "Thank you very much, my good man! Keep up the fine job, sir."

He waved the others to follow him, leaving the guard rather heated as he went on to the next visitor in line. Just out of earshot, Ulric returned to his serious demeanor, snapping his finger.

"Go," he muttered to the others, quietly, leaving his group to separate out, able to freely pursue their individual tasks.

Shadowmoon, however, watched Ulric as he walked off, curiously examining his hands. She couldn't make heads or tails on what he possibly could have done, but still found herself to be extremely curious as she slowly made her way on, her eyes trailing behind her every step.


	5. Ulric's Gambit

While Parvaen was off in the less-shady part of the settlement to find some silken threads, the others of the troupe were busy walking around dark corners, off looking to either buy or sell. Tandkota, being the biggest, had been given the task of selling the pelt of Gauvir, a hefty sum surely to arrive in turn. Few would dare challenge the man, and as such, he spent very little time ducking into corners, which, obviously, he probably couldn't have done anyway.

With the strap carefully woven around his body, the bag remained in front of him, clutched securely within one of his arms, as he poked into different shops, asking if they were interested in buying. With the new regulations, however, he needed to find something else as a code for what he was truly interested in selling. He'd gone through 'blanket', 'tapestry', and even 'imported goods of the bestial variety', but to no avail.

Stepping out of another shop, unsold, the tauren grunted lowly under his breath as he turned to continue on, finding Shadowmoon walking in his direction, her own satchel strapped around her waist, her face contorting confusedly as she spoke up, "No takers?"

Tandlota shrugged, "No. But I figured I needed to be careful, what with these ordinances. I know Poore isn't above setting up fake shops."

Shadowmoon turned to the shop he'd just left, the sign above the door having just been recently stripped of its original carving and replaced with something that resembled an alchemic nature, "This used to be _the_ place to sell our pelts."

The tauren groaned, "That's what I thought."

"Well, what did you say to them?"

Tandkota shrugged, "I asked if they were interested in buying some goat giblets. I was sure to wink and emphasize the 'giblets' part, of course."

Pithily enough, Shadowmoon stared at her friend, begrudgingly replying, "Tandkota, have you ever seen a tauren wink before?"

He paused, slowly, before answering, "No, I guess not."

Shadowmoon sighed, carefully taking the bag off his shoulders before ducking into the shop herself, the bell above the door clanging violently as she stepped along, eying the distracted man behind the counter. She grabbed the bag and threw it down onto the counter just before approaching it herself and leaning over it, fiercely.

"Hey asshole, how much?!" she shouted, "My friend was looking to hook you up; what gives?!"

The man watched her without raising his head, his eyes full of worry, which Shadowmoon only barely caught as she turned toward the back room, a dark specter of a man leaning out into the room, eyeing her with sinister intent, a large bolt pierced through his nose simply dangling in front of his face, hiding his grin.

"Thank you sir," Shadowmoon muttered, grappling at her bag, "You made a sublime point, and I'll be on my way. Sorry to bother-"

Before she could finish, she darted out the store, rounding around to the other aide of Tandkota, who curiously followed her with his eyes as she spoke up, "Well, now we know why he wasn't playing ball. He was being to bed by some bandits."

"What?" Tandkota sighed, enotionlessly.

Shadowmoon pulled him forward, "And we're next on the menu if we don't get out of here. Just move along; we'll find someplace else."

The tauren's strides were lengthy enough that easily kept pace, his annoyance not breaking through his calm demeanor, "Your ability to act before asking questions astounds me oftentimes."

Shadowmoon groaned, shaking her head, "I wouldn't keep doing it if it wasn't advantageous more often than not. I happen to come from a long line of impulsion, I'll have you know."

"Last month, you had come from a lineage of patient monks," Tandkota noted, plainly, forcing his companion to cringe.

Shadowmoon scratched her cheek, "Well, you know, it's been a _very_ long line."

Tandkota gave the mildest of grins, choosing to change the subject rather than point out how few generations night elves actually had, "My apologies, by the way, for putting you out."

Shadowmoon shook her head, "Hey, I'm on rope and lure duty; it's not at all being put out. I'm not going to leave my tauren out in the rain, especially when he's often given the difficult tasks."

Huffing a light breath through his nose, Tandkota's form of a sigh, he went on, "What was the nature on your point of tauren's winking, anyway?"

She laughed under her breath, looking up at her friend and pointing a thumb up to his eyes, "Between that massive snout and all that hair, how anybody supposed to tell your eyes from anything else you've got up there?"

The large man turned his head, embarrassingly, causing a playfully shocked gasp from Shadowmoon, "Did I make the mighty Tandkota blush?!"

Proud of his stoic demeanor, this was, indeed, a large slight as far as Tandkota was concerned, though he quickly returned to normal, keeping his eyes closed so as to not see Shadowmoon's painfully obvious grin toward him. Still, the two went on, hunting down another dealer of their sort of merchandise, Shadowmoon pulling her large woolen coat higher over her shoulders as the stares continued at them from the shady dealers that lined the street.

Suddenly, Shadowmoon spun around, grasping the wrist of a rather decrepit man who had managed to approach them from behind. Tandkota remained walking, his eyes still closed, but he sauntered around as soon as the man's cries rose into the air as Shadowmoon twisted his arm.

"The last person who tried touching me like that had an arm ripped out from his socket," Shadowmoon seethed, pulling the man close, "You're desperately close to completing the set."

Tandkota walked over, the scraggly man's eyes turning to him in shock as he tried to pull away, though it only caused Shadowmoon's grip to tighten. The tauren patted Shadowmoon's shoulder, shaking his head as he muttered to her.

"Best not to upset the wrong people," his deep voice carried, "Same goes to you, too, human."

The man nodded hurriedly in agreement, still attempting to rip his arm free. Shadowmoon gazed at him angrily, pulling his arm toward her and around so that he spun backwards, her leg reaching up to violently kick him in the back, knocking him to the ground. He hurriedly scurried away, desperately reaching for his ill-fitting trousers so that they wouldn't fall down as he ran.

"Hope for you yet, young one," Tandkota smiled.

Shadowmoon groaned, "I'm impulsive, not a moron. One day I'll tell you about the time I grasped ahold of my smarts long enough to figure my way out of a spider's nest."

Tandkota nodded as the two continued along, pulling his shoulder around in a circle to reorient the bags strap higher onto his frame, "Perhaps I cast judgement too soon. You are certainly invaluable to our small group."

"Aww, Kota!" Shadowmoon mused in mock sincerity, smirking up at him as she playfully hit his arm, "In all seriousness, I do appreciate it."

The tauren turned down to her, "You said before that you didn't have a place of your own. I can't speak for the others, but I hope I've done what I can to accommodate you."

"Nuh uh," Shadowmoon quipped, "I don't want to be treated any different. You seem to do that; that alone makes me feel at ease."

Tandkota nodded once again, smiling mildly underneath his massive snout as Shadowmoon finished, "But to answer your thought, yes, I do feel like I have a place with you all. Not to sound all mushy and shit; you're he only one I could say this to- you're all sort of like the family I never had."

Her friend chuckled lightly, though it still jolted the ground beneath them, "Were it in my nature, I would tease you before accepting and/or reciprocating the sentiment."

Shadowmoon sighed, "Luckily, there's enough in mine to cover both of us."

Tandkota grumbled in agreement, pulling out his list to reexamine his tasks, "Hmm, mackerel for bait. That's unfortunate; I hate the smell."

Absently, Shadowmoon muttered back as she stealthily pulled her own slip of paper out from her pocket, "I guess we aren't catching you with it, then."

She eyed it about as skeptically as she'd done the first time she'd laid her eyes on it. Inscribed within were just a simple two words- so uncharacteristic of the dark, cocksure man who had written them down for her. Her task was a simple one.

 _ **"Help me."**_

* * *

The tick-tock of a gigantic, wooden grandfather clock reverberated throughout the sizable office where Ulric sat, sitting politely in a considerably shaky chair, considering the other or are furniture that sat around him. In front of him was an equally ornate desk; one that probably was meant to intimidate visitors simply by its size, though Ulric had seen it before and knew, as well, its owner.

Sitting still, his eyes blinked tirelessly while he remained focused on the patternous trails upon the wooden desk. He'd been here enough to understand was going on; the first visit here, he had nearly been entranced by the hypnotic ticking and tocking behind him.

 _Tick. Tock._

 _Tick. Tock._

 _Tick._

The door quietly opened up to his side, Ulric's head swinging ever so slightly to see a man appearing- a man known simply as "Dwyer". The short man appeared twice his size simply due to his large muscles, honed in the brutal fist-fights though would occur underneath the shallow docks. He had made a reputation of himself on his quiet demeanor that hid the specter of a ruthless murderer. A perfect man to run an undercover gang.

"Ah," the man's dry voice began as he closed the door, "An old… Well, 'acquaintance', was it?"

Ulric nodded with an unenthused face, "That is correct."

Dwyer shrugged as he lankily walked over to his desk, admiring the tapestry that hung behind him, "You know, that was woven by Pandaren monks. First thing that was imported from that place."

He hopped into his chair, whirling around like a child, "Yeah, the curator cried when I stole it from him. He should have had more than eight bodyguards."

He stared off into space in deep thought, picking a sunflower seed from his open hand and tossing it into his mouth to chew, "Oh well. Ulric…acquaintance."

Dwyer leaned onto his desk, carefully dumping the seeds in a delicate pile on his desk before bringing his hand together, a crooked smile upon his dark face, "What is it that forces you to grace my presence?"

"Poore."

Dwyer groaned, throwing his arms into the air as if clearing his hands of Ulric's words, "That rat bastard, eh? What, 'd the old fool steal your lunch money?"

"No," Ulric answered, bringing a hand to his face, feverishly scratching his hairy chin with a single finger.

He sighed, reluctantly beginning again, "I know how stupid this is, but for me to continue what I'm doing, I'm more or less forced into it. Apparently, Poore is in bed with D.H.E.T.A., which is bad for my business and lifestyle."

Dwyer smirked evilly, "So, what, you're seriously asking me to launder your shit in and out of here?"

Ulric's eyes peered out the window absently, "Essentially."

"I hope you have more of a sales pitch…" Dwyer spoke monotonously.

Sighing, Ulric leaned forward, his hands articulating as he spoke, "I mean, you'd get a cut of course. All I really need is enough for myself and my guys to live off of. Of course, you'll get the satisfaction of showing up Deegan and D.H.E.T.A; I know that means more to you than gold."

"True. Very true," Dwyer chuckled amusedly as he leaned back in his chair, bringing his hands up behind his head, "When was it we were running with the Laskeshire boys? A few decades ago, now, right?"

Ulric's head sunk into his hand annoyingly, "Jesus christ…"

"No, no! Hear me out!" Dwyer insisted, reaching his arms out dramatically, "Remember, we were trying to sneak stuff through Three Corners. Gerald had it done, solid; then I got through. Then you moseyed on through and fucked it up."

Ulric shook his head, "I can't believe I'm telling you this, _still_. None of us knew the Marshall would show up when he did. Whomever went last was going to be the scape-"

Dwyer held out an open hand, silencing the guest as he grumbled under his breath, "I never could forgive you for that. I never did get my brother's watch back. Spent ten years huntin' it down."

Ulric sat there, uncomfortably so, as Dwyer shook his head, grabbing at a single sunflower seed and plucking it into his mouth, "And now, here we are. You, asking _me_ for help. That's rich."

Watching him carefully, Ulric began sliding his hands off of the chair's arm rests, though it was too late. In a matter of a second, a dark hand had appeared from behind him, wrestling with his hand to keep it against the thin wood of the chair, a pair of handcuffs quickly snapping shut across his wrist as well as around the chair.

Ulric angrily grappled with the roguish presence, but the ghostly entity had just managed to evaporate back into the darkness, leaving Ulric to desperately grab ahold of the cuffs, yanking at them furiously.

"The chair's bolted to the ground, by the way," Dwyer addressed, blankly, his feet up on his desk as he picked seeds from his open hand above his stomach, "It's the least I can do for a- …well, an acquaintance."

Ulric snarled at the man, "What's your game, Dwyer?"

He shrugged, "You fucked me over bad, Ulric. Real bad. You were lucky your family died while you were young. You have no idea what it's like to have a brother who spends his _entire_ life looking out for you. Protecting you on the streets. Beating the fucking shit out of Daniel Parthidge because he had the audacity to hit me with a brick. You have NO idea what it's like for that same person, who you worshipped like a GOD, to die so brutally at the hands of something you couldn't even understand, much less stop."

Dwyer gritted his teeth angrily, "You have no idea what it's like for _that_ person to leave you with nothing but a watch. A watch some fucking ingrate you picked off the streets managed to lose."

Ulric had lowered his head, hiding a grin, though he lifted himself up to show off his expression, earning a stare of pure ire from his host, "You have no idea what makes me. If you knew what I'm made of, you'd kill your brother ten times over just to surrender those horrors."

His face turned to brace itself from the mass of sunflowers that had been flung at him as Dwyer stood up, stomping toward Ulric and grasping a handful of hair, lifting a fist as he angrily snarled down at him, his breaths heated as his body contracted mercilessly as his lungs sped up. Ulric smirked at him, attempting to entice his punch, but it never came.

Dwyer sighed deeply, shaking his head as he released Ulric's thick hair, "No. I'm better than this."

He rubbed his hands against each other before shoving them in his pockets, leaning back against his desk, "You know, you made quite the ruckus with that stunt you pulled to get in here."

Ulric eyed him curiously as he shrugged, smiling devilishly, "Assaulting a guard. Well, "threatening" one, but I mean, with Deegan, it might as well be the same. It would be a shame if, you know…"

A slight pause arose as Dwyer lifted his head as though waiting for a noise to emerge from somewhere. Indeed, his grin twisted into a cruel smirk as a loud set of banging nearly shook the entire building from below, leaving Ulric to look at the ground, confused.

"Oh! The cavalry's here!" Dwyer mused gleefully, hopping up to his feet as he clenched his hands together as he backed up toward the door, "Oh! I almost forgot. This is _your_ place, and Deegan will be finding _your_ collection of contraband in the basement. I doubt they'll care about your imprisonment. or any of your words for that matter."

Another collection of, considerably louder, knocking forced Dwyer to speed his taunting up as he twisted the handle, waving back to Ulric as he stepped out, his happy demeanor suddenly becoming sadistic, "See ya, fucker."

With a salute, Dwyer slammed the door behind him, leaving Ulric alone to stare at the door before dropping his head, eyes closed in focus. Not much time passed before the knocking turned violent, probably due to either a kick or battering ram- both meant for the same purpose. Ulric's ears perked as the sound of a marble dropping to the floor rang out ever so slightly, his head turning to the window to find a fur-clocked figure there, tinkering gingerly with the lock.

Another pang of lock being picked and the window opened just before the deafening crash of wooden door being caved inward and a rapid legion of footsteps began rattling the building.

"It may be an understatement to say I appreciate this," Ulric muttered helplessly as Shadowmoon knelt beside him, working on the lock of his handcuffs.

Shadowmoon shrugged as she peered at the cuff through a single open eye, "Giving me your entire share would be an understatement if they get up here before we get out."

Ulric grinned, "I'd say that's totally up to you at this point."

She eyed him sarcastically, "I could just leave you here, you know."

"You guys wouldn't know what to do with yourselves," Ulric muttered humorously as the clattering of boots ran up the flight of stairs, the unmistakable clanging of metallic boots leading the charge.

Shadowmoon eyed the door quickly, her fingers running her two pins hurriedly into the keyhole, Ulric's breath remaining steady as she worked. As the footsteps rang closer, she grabbed her dagger as threw it as hard as she could against the door, landing it perfectly across the door and its frame, holding the two pieces together as she continued lockpicking.

*BANG*

Ulric turned to the door, hearing the growl of Deegan Poore himself on the other side, "Son of a- Get the…"

He trailed off, but suddenly, an even louder BANG came slamming into the door, returning with another BANG as the Magistrate attempted to tear through the door with his foot. As the loud thuds melted the air, Shadowmoon's eye narrowed until, finally, a click sounded out before the next thud, accompanied by the crash of tearing wood.

Instantly, Ulric was standing, the two dashing toward the window, with Shadowmoon carefully sliding the glass pane shut before following Ulric off the rooftop. With all his manpower focused within the small building, the two easily slipped away into the darkness, clocked underneath the ever-extending shadows cast upon the large port by the moon above.

* * *

Shadowmoon took a breath in relief as she slouched her shoulders, hanging her head in exhaustion as she and her leader trudged along the dune just outside of Valiance Keep. Ulric, however, remained steady, as he always did. His gait remained at his normal pace, and his posture was as rigid, true to his style.

"Good call on my assignment," Shadowmoon complimented, pulling her large furred pelt off of her body to relish in the night air.

Ulric nodded, "Thank you."

"Really, don't," Kyra mused lightly, "I found time to make sure our goods were sold first."

Grinning, Ulric turned his head toward her, "Money before companions, eh?"

Shadowmoon smirked with a shrug, though she turned serious quickly enough, "If I had any doubt that you could handle much of anything by yourself, I'd have arrived sooner. Granted, you couldn't, but it's whatever."

Ulric eyed her, still with a cocksure grin, "We both know I could have gotten away."

"Oh, sure," Shadowmoon sighed sarcastically, "If you weren't handing me my money, I might be forced to disagree."

Ulric let out a light chuckle as he shook his head, pulling out his pocketbook, "How much did we make from ol' Gauvir anyway?"

"Enough," Shadowmoon answered, easily.

Shooting her an unamused stare, Ulric groaned, "Must we do this every t-"

"Twenty-five."

Ulric's eyes glazed over a bit as her words rolled around in his head, "Twenty-five hund-"

Shadowmoon shook her head with a grin, causing Ulric to slow to a stop in his speech, stuffing his pocketbook back where it came, "Well; we won't be needing that for a while, now will we?"

He laughed as he thought of the prospect of such a mass of money, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked upward into the sky. Shadowmoon watched his gaze, following his sight up into the heavens as well.

The stars above them were different this far north. As a child, Shadowmoon had spent many nights just staring into the sky, memorizing the stars above her. Feeling so lonely, each star could have been another wisp, longingly seeking the same sort of interaction Shadowmoon had sought.

Here, however, where she had companions, Shadowmoon saw them for the celestial bodies that they were- counting them aimlessly. She had no need, here, for them to be memorized. Instead, she memorized Remnaar's tricks, Tandkota's so subtle facial expressions, and Parvaen's sophisticated diction. She looked back down toward Ulric, wondering what it was about him she had chosen to memorize, though now that she thought about it, there hadn't ever been much _to_ memorize.

"Well," Ulric mumbled aloud, "Guess we're both up the creek. Rendezvous was, surely, an hour or so ago. I'm the leader though; I guess I can skirt the rules."

He looked at Shadowmoon, who stared back, shrugging a single shoulder up to her face, "You're gonna let me escape to another band of hunters?"

"Not a chance," he chided with a smirk, "You're absolved; after all, you rescued me."

"I thought you could have handled it yourself."

Turning away, Ulric hid a sincere smile, "Maybe that was all bullshit."

"That's it!" Shadowmoon exclaimed, "That's what I keep tabs on with you- how much crap you feed us!"

"Ha ha!" Ulric laughed, "You think it seriously happens enough to constitute a counter?"

Shadowmoon's eyes caught him with a knowing glance, "All. The. Damn. Time."

All he could do was shrug, but he grinned in good faith anyway, "I hope you know it's all in good fun. I haven't ever lied to any of you. Well, maybe with Remnaar I split hairs, but you'd agree that it would have been for the best."

He returned to her challenging stare, her hand motioning for him to come at her, "C'mon. Show me what you got."

Ulric's head fell backward as he groaned lightly, turning to watch her from the corners of his unturned eyes, "You really need to take that pelt off more often around camp. We could use some feminine wiles."

"Bullshit!" Shadowmoon cried out, playfully, hitting his arm with a rather hard fist, "That's another one."

Shrugging, it was all Ulric could do to hold back a laugh, "Look, you were the one who told me to-"

"Shit!" Shadowmoon shouted out, Ulric turning to see her wildly running her hands up and down her person, "I left my dagger."

Ulric nodded, sarcastically replying, "Well, yeah; that was sort of the point, correct?"

"No," Shadowmoon answered, heavily, " _My_ dagger. It's got my name on it. I meant to throw Little Kris."

As her hands worked around just to make sure, Ulric groaned slightly, "Well, I didn't want to break it to you until we had returned…but I don't think we'll be coming back to Valiance any time soon."

Shadowmoon watched him curiously as he went on, dejectedly, "You rescued me from an old, _old_ acquaintance, who was sort of our last chance at continuing our little operation, at least here. It didn't work out, though."

"Yeah, no shit," Shadowmoon shot back sarcastically, forcing another smirk from Ulric.

He went on anyway, "We'll have to all sit and figure out where to go from here. Head eastward, perhaps, though I'm not fond of the Vrykul. Plus, that's Ursoc's territory. I'd rather take on Lathorius _and_ Deegan at once before getting tangled up with that beast."

He sighed at the idea of impending changes, shaking his head before finishing, "Don't worry, we'll get you another dagger somewhere. Maybe in Dalaran- we're not exactly short on funds, are we?"

Shadowmoon groaned, shrugging, "It's fine. If we're not returning, anyway. Not like anybody with my name will ever show up there again."


	6. Together Again

Kyra stared up toward the tall peaks of Hyjal, her eyes narrowed in recognizance. She and Colin were to meet her parents at the base of Hyjal, which was about as far as Eldris was comfortable going alone. Kel'aeth was still just barely able to walk, even after a year, and with bring all their belongings down from the fiery peaks, he preferred to take it slow. Of course, Colin and Kyra both objected to him and his wife coming down at all without help, but the elder Shadowmoon was very quick to remind them of their previous ascent.

For the last few hours, Kyra had been mesmerized by the elegantly demure atmosphere that surrounded Ashenvale, which she'd began to be unaccustomed to since living in Stonetalon. Now, she watched the chokingly grim and dark rocks that jutted up to the top of this mountain; a chaotic reminder of that time just a year ago.

Colin, on the other hand, had spent the last few hours dealing with something of an illness building up within him, though he was sure it was just a cold or something. His sinuses were shot, but that could easily have been due to the different altitudes and landscapes he had already passed through so quickly.

He ignored the fact that such things hadn't ever happened before to him… He was an adventurer, or traveler, after all.

Still, he managed well enough not to tip Kyra off that anything might be wrong. He continued carrying his share of supplies, though as the two finally made their way far enough up the mountain to see the Sanctuary of Malorne, Colin was more than thrilled at the prospect of a breather.

"Ah ha!" Kyra spoke up, her breaths thin from exhaustion, "Told you it wasn't much farther."

Colin grinned between his own labored breaths, "Hey, it's not as if I took the scenic, memorable route last time. You probably of some elven sense, anyway, that tips you off to sanctuaries or wisp gardens or, you know."

Kyra giggled, certainly uncharacteristically, as she stood there, stretching her arms into the air, "That's actually a mix between something horrible and something adorable. Assuming the legends are true, it'd be just a conglomeration of dead ancestors."

Groaning, Colin joined Kyra at the top of the small hill they'd just overtaken, "Well, I certainly didn't mean it like that. At least we're decent enough on time; they didn't beat us here. Though, knowing them, I wouldn't exactly be shocked if they just went on."

Pulling out a sheet of paper, Kyra's lips contorted in thought, "Normally I'd agree, but it sounds like, at least, my father is worried about Kelaeth. Night elves simply don't take a year to recover; he probably thinks he needs the Teldrassilian air or something."

"Well, it worked wonders for me," Colin noted, simply, "Anyway, shall we continue? A break seems very good, considering this smoky air we're breathing."

Kyra nodded in agreement as they began down the opposite side of the outcropping, leaving Colin to examine the rudimentary map he had acquired quite a bit ago, his eyes running across the parchment as they walked over the cragged earth, "Any reason we're meeting here?"

"Hmm?" Kyra sounded through closed lips.

Colin went on, "Well, it seems further down that most other notable meeting places, if Eldris truly was concerned. I know your people have a bevy of deities; is Malorne so revered?"

Kyra smiled, spinning around slowly to watch Colin as she carefully walked backwards, "Well, all things considered, he should be revered by even you."

Questioningly, Colin watched her as she smiled, bringing a hand to her chin as if to mimic some ancient teacher, "For one, Malorne is the lover of Elune; secondly, he's the father of Cenarius and, thirdly, the dear friend of Ysera. For one so humbly attached to all of our goings-on, it may simply be appropriate."

Colin watched her distantly, taking in her simple tale, though she quickly shrugged, "That, and he's the White Stag. Why not pray to him before a journey?"

Looking away, Colin chuckled lightly, "Once again, you prove your way with stories."

"You were enthralled two years ago as well," Kyra grinned, earning a similar look from her lover.

He replied, "Now that you're the traveler, you just seem to get better."

She nodded proudly, spinning back to walk along properly as the two came up toward the rather modest shrine. Kyra was the first to arrive, carefully lowering her small knapsack onto the ground with a deep sigh, leaning back against one of the columns as she relaxed.

"Ahh, and now we-"

She opened her eyes to see Colin struggling with his last few steps up toward the shine, Kyra's legs immediately rushing into motion as she came to his side, though he was quick to dismiss her aid, "It's nothing. It's just been a long trip is all."

In reality, his muscles had begun to ache all over, though he wouldn't dare derail the current plan. Kyra still grabbed ahold of his backpack and pulled it off his shoulder, helping to, at least, keep him balanced. She watched him worriedly as he groaned himself, falling against one of the columns and sliding to the ground to take a seat.

"Huh, I don't remember it being this bad last time," he muttered to himself, "What, did I have in night elf years or something?"

Kyra eyed him, examining his body, as she replied, "I mean, we hit adulthood pretty fast, then sort of head to a gradual maturity. Then again, you're a human; I'm not entire sure how you'd operate."

She knelt down and reached into her knapsack, pulling out one of the small vials of moonwater, which Colin immediately refused upon seeing it, "No, no; we don't even know if they'll need some. Trust me, I'm fine."

Kyra's thumb ran up and down the vial as she watched him suspiciously, Colin noticing her stare, which he replied to with a smile, "Hey, the guy who can't walk always gets help before the guy who can. Y'eanel would know that."

Stuffing the vial back into her knapsack, Kyra sighed, "Well, she'd also know to help out those who need it, regardless."

She made her way over toward him, sitting at his side and leaning against his body, "I know how to protect the man I love."

Colin scoffed, smirking as his head turned as best it could toward her, "I don't need protecting, though. Just rest. Now, allow me to take in some of this stonemasonry."

Kyra figured he meant visually, though as she realized he'd stopped moving, she looking up to find him working his way into a nap, his head leaning back against the stone; the touch of which apparently up to his satisfaction. She wanted to grin at how cute his face would become as he slept, but she couldn't help a burrowing worry from within. She sighed as she lowered her head, surrendering herself to her own level of exhaustion, her eyes sinking lower and lower as her mind ran through her future, again and again.

* * *

 _"You mere mortals find some pleasures underneath **MY** shrine?!"_

Colin bolted awake, hurriedly twisting his body to find the source of that voice, suddenly turning up to the large, pristine statue of Malorne. Quickly, he fell back against the column with relief, his eyes having met the snickering body of Vylira, who was sitting atop the stature, her leg dangling off playfully.

Colin sighed, shaking his head, "You know, your entrances are bordering on heart attack inducing."

Smirking widely, Vylira lifted her shoulder as she tilted her head, "Meh, I figured you two could use a pep in your step. More so Kyra; she's still passed out there."

Sure enough, Colin turned to see Kyra still asleep, her body just barely rising and falling as her breaths came and went. Vylira skillfully managed her way down to the ground below, bowing as she completed her descent.

"Mom and dad knew I'd be around, so they figured I might as well join the posse on its way back to Teldrassil. That, and I get to see that blockhead again. Oooo; I haven't spoken to him since I kicked his ass so long ago!"

Colin watched her confusedly, which Vylira picked up on as she leaned her back against another column, "Oh, it was a scene, man. Ask the twins; they were there- they'd tell you I gave him the ol' what for!"

She giggled to herself, staring off toward the peak of Mount Hyjal, "Do you guys know when they should be getting here?"

Shaking his head, Colin shared her stare up the mountain, "No, but it shouldn't be too long from now. Unless something went wrong, of course, but we would have found out."

"Speaking of 'wrong', you seem under the weather," Vylira noted, grimly, "You okay?"

Colin nodded, "Yeah; I was just tired is all. I'm guessing after sucking up all the pollution in Stormwind, then living in Stonetalon for a year- it probably is taking some getting used to when it comes to breathing in this stuff."

Shrugging herself, Vylira simply accepted his explanation as Kyra's eye began to stir, the eldest of the two grinning at the sight, "HEY, SHRIMP!"

Kyra's eyes just opened before closing again in annoyance, her voice groaning deeply, "You know I hate that name."

Vylira giggled again, "Well you didn't wake up for my last stunt; I figured you had some ground to make up. So how _is_ life down there? and I don't need at the weird stuff."

"Well, you know, you were there and all."

"Yeah, yeah, but Nylfallas visited, right?" Vylria goaded, her arms lightly flapping in front of her energetically, "Was he as cool as he was back when we were all still on Teldrassil? I bet his little wife stunted all that."

Colin pulled back his sleeve, revealing a rather large welt that surrounded the lightest of cuts down a sizeable portion of his arm, leaving Vylira to examine it with wide eyes and a cooing noise, "I mean, he had no problems breaking in the mate of his younger sister."

"Hmm," Vylira nodded as she crouched down in front of Colin, picking his arm up and examining it, "Eh, nah. This is kid stuff. Syheath brought a boy home and he left with a few scars; she wasn't even courting him!"

"I hope you've learned not to listen to her stories," Kyra sighed, "Or, at the very least, not believe them. Syheath was the 'wild' child, I suppose; she was always bringing home riff-raff. Most of those men probably deserved more than the scars they received."

Vylira snickered, "Oh, well yeah. She was obsessed with getting away, sort of like Kyra. Though, Syheath wasn't nearly as 'rigid', I suppose- she never joined the Sisters, and I mean, any traveling elf with a story about taking two steps into Desolace caught her interest; didn't matter whether he'd killed three men or was only worth his weight in dirt."

"Most of them were probably just lying anyway," Vylira concluded with a shrug, "A pretty thing running up to you at the docks, asking for a story; a long enough time out at sea, you'll say just about anything."

"I believe one of them claimed to have ridden the White Stag himself," Kyra groaned, lowering her head dejectedly, "I wish I could say we were all brought up to be intelligent enough."

Colin's eyes wandered down toward her, "And she's the one we haven't see, correct?"

Kyra nodded, though Vylira was the one to speak up as she hopped onto the cobbled stone wall that formed a ring around the statue, "She ran off, up north. That was when the Lich King was running amok and everybody and their dog had to venture up there. It made sense; she always loved hunting wild game and junk- the fact that that's all forbidden on Teldrassil only fueled it, no doubt."

She turned away, smirking, "It's funny. Mom and dad sought out Teldrassil for the very same reason that it forces so many of their children to rebel against it."

Kyra's eyes slowly ran up to meet Vylira, who looked back at her, curiously, "What? It's true! Look at you; you ran off as well. Perhaps not as recklessly as Syheath, but still, you did."

"That's different," Kyra replied, almost unsurely.

Vylira shrugged, "What, you wanted to run off and-"

"-and help my people," Kyra finished, "My goals may have changed since then, but not once did I ever hitch my star onto something as foolish as Syheath did."

The elder of the two lowered her head, smirking, "I'm not saying you were reckless; I was just pointing out an irony. I left too, as did Nylfallas and Kelaeth. Aaleas has made his way as well. Had we all just stayed, sure we'd have been bored out of our skulls, but how much crap would we not have gotten into?"

"I remind you, sister," Kyra spoke plainly, "Our oldest was taken into corruption upon that very same tree you seem to be praising."

Vylira sighed, shaking her head, "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Kyra rolled her eyes as best as a night elf could, though as silence began to fall upon the modest sanctuary, Colin began to mutter along, questioningly, "Do you miss it?"

Vylira looked up at him as he explained further, "I mean, why else would you agree to come with? The first thing you brought up about your brother was how you punched him out- there can't be too much there for you to resolve."

Staring at him further, a grin crept across Vylira's face, "You're quite astute, human. My sister must gain some insight by being partnered with you."

Kyra eyed her sarcastically, though Vylira only stuck her tongue out at her, "I mean, I mentioned it two years ago, I was getting tired of military service. Maturity is just catching up to me, I suppose."

She shrugged, "Gotta find myself a good man. Raise a family. All that nonsense. Thanks to you two, I have enough stories of the mainland and the Aspects running foul- of course I'd settle down on Teldrassil!"

Colin chuckled along with her observations, though he replied less happily, "So is this your last hurrah?"

"Naaah," Vylira replied hautily, her lips tilting in contemplation, "I've just been thinking. You two haven't helped anything; Kyra was the first of the girls to find a mate, so until you came around, the whole prospect was rather foreign to me. Seeing you two, I mean, it doesn't seem as bad as I would have thought."

She stood up, brushing off her light armor, "I always hated kids and all that shit, but I know if you two end up doing something, I'll be forced to love that thing and you two will influence me more than any of my superiors ever could."

Groaning rather frustratingly, Vylira stared at them unamused, "Seriously, you two are the worst."

Colin could only grin as he traced Vylira's sight, catching a small cart being rolled down into the valley where the three were. Helping Kyra up, the two stood up beside Vylira, who stared off with a distant look as she quickly recognized her older brother on the cart.

"You gonna be okay?" Kyra asked, slightly worriedly, "I've forgiven him."

"See?" Vylira complained, turning to her sister, "You two frickin' do everything first and _I'm_ the one who follows. Seriously, it's a drag!"

Kyra smirked, though returned neutrally as the cart approached, Eldris and Cayssarin coming into view as their dark clothing nearly camouflaged into the landscape. Before they could arrive at the shrine, the three who were there had already begun walking to meet them, the two parents hugging either of the two daughters.

"You two have only aged a few centuries," Vylira muttered disapprovingly as she held her mother.

"Only in looks, dear," Cayssarin replied, boldly.

Vylira's face noticeably sunk, as if recalling some deeply repressed memory of her mother proving her physical prowess to her in a painful way. Opposite her, Kyra and her father held each other, though the two didn't share words. Eldris smiled as he saw Colin over his daughter's shoulder, nodding silently, to which Colin replied in kind.

"C'mon, dad; surely you have more to say than nothing!" Vylira goaded, though Eldris only chuckled, his body quaking against his daughter's until he pulled away.

He tilted his head in inquiry, "What, were you wanting a joke or something?"

"I don't know; mom showed off her claws. I figured you'd show off that quick wit or something."

Eldris laughed, "Well, getting down here slowed my legs as well as my wit, so you may have to wait a while. Until then, all I can really offer is a hug."

Vylira sighed as she relinquished herself to what he could offer, her voice mumbling into his shoulder, "My dad used to be cool…"

Surely enough, her father began to laugh at her words as she pulled away, "Now, we need a rest, so if you three don't mind hanging out a bit longer. How long have you all been here?"

"Uh, just an hour or so, I think," Colin recalled, "We got here first and both took a nap before Vylira got here."

Eldris nodded, "Ah ha. Well I hate to force you all to remain, but-"

"Actually," Colin spoke up, "As I was expecting this, I got in touch with a friend of mine around these parts…"

He knelt down and pulled out a rather large and heavy-looking weight, along with a long rope and two metal anchors for it to go through, "I guess you strap these on either end of the cart, and with a bit of magic, the weight sort of acts like a pendulum and the weight bobbing up and down gets the cart moving forward by itself."

His eyes squinted, "I mean, as far as he knew."

Eldris nodded as he examined the contraption, and even Vylira leaned in with interest, "Hmm. Proving yourself again, rook."

Colin smirked, "It really was the least I could do. Let me get this strapped up and, hopefully, you two can rest while we're on the move."


	7. Illness Foreshadowed

The journey home was uneventful, for the most part, as the small cluster of elves and human made their way down the remainder of Hyjal and through Ashenvale. With the exemption of stopping in Astranaar, so that Vylira could boastfully show off her connections and her own share of good stories from the locals of her deeds, they pressed on toward Maestra's Post, where it was Kyra's turn to share in her own stories, even if they held a decent dose of Vylira's actions as well. It wasn't often that the Horde came so far west, and even the two parents were surprised to hear of the news.

"I returned there after we left you last," Kyra explained, finishing up her story as the small troupe began walking into the shadowed landscape of Darkshore, "Maestra was very appreciative of my help! She said she hadn't met many Sentinels from Teldrassil who could hold their own the way I did."

Eldris grinned as his hand rubbed atop Kyra's head, shoveling her hair into a myriad of directions, "I knew I'd raised my daughters to raise to every occasion. I was afraid that, with the usual gender roles somewhat displaced, your mother and my's history might have forced you all into some Druidic order!"

"Pfft," Vylira scoffed, "Sounds like a bore fest. Not to say I was inspired by your stories growing up- they were certainly more akin to nightmares than anything else, but I was always excited to be as cool as my mother."

Cayssarin's face dropped, dryly, "You do understand how much I hate to hear that."

Kyra grinned, speaking in her sister's place, "Why? It was all you and Tyriel would talk about whenever she'd come by. The way you two carried on, talking about the good ol' days; I would have thought you'd expected us to hear your exciting stories."

"You do realize," the matriarch muttered, dryly, "Some of those tales involve your father."

The two daughters quickly turned to Eldris, whose eyes caught theirs, though his face was far more blank, as if he hadn't been listening, until Vylira spoke up, "Well, I mean, you didn't kill him."

Eldris turned to his wife, whose lips only pursed at him in secrecy, causing the man a worried expression. Sitting around the back of the cart, Kelaeth laid, sleeping, in the front compartment, where a humanoid would sit and direct the horses in front. Though, without a hitch, Colin's trick had worked like a charm, leaving everybody to relax, lulled in by the gentle motions of the wheels popping down into the cracks of the cobblestone underneath.

"I know you've got more stories," Kyra mused, "I think I'm old enough, now; I have a mate after all."

Eldris and Cayssarin shared a look with one another before the former sighed, leaning his back against the wall of the cart, "Uh, well… I told you how I stole your mother's heart away, right?"

"NO!"

"NO!" the two sisters replied, excitedly, though Cayssarin eyed her husband disdainfully.

"That's not exactly a story we can share, my husband…"

Eldris grinned, shrugging, "I suppose so. Your choice then; I've told so many, I don't know which stories have been told and which ones haven't."

The two sisters excitedly turned to their mother, whose lips twisted in thought, her head falling backward, hanging out of the cart, eyes closed, "Okay… Oh, one day, after we'd first settled upon Teldrassil, I was teaching your father how to cook- one of the things they didn't ever teach him in Illidari school."

Eldris groaned, covering his face with both hands, "Oh, Elune help us…"

Cayssarin grinned as she lifted her head up further, "One of your favorites, both of you, is ichor soup. Well, it was my favorite as well. Back then, the cull was still going on, so I had him go off to Andrassil and come back with some dead spiders to be used in the soup."

"Well!" Cayssarin continued, "There I was, standing for hours in our home, waiting for him to return. Of course, there I was, wondering just how horrendous of a hunter my husband was; how was I to tell our children that he could only catch night elves, right? But in he came, in the dark of the night, with a jar of ichor- the fool had taken it upon himself to kill the spiders and try whatever he could to extract their ichor without my help. Though, he was terrible at it, he admitted, and ended up killing enough spiders to end the damn cull trying to get enough for the stew."

Cayssarin had begun laughing as if she were still a young adult, and even Eldris had pulled his hands down, simply smiling as he watched his wife recount her story, "It was all he could do to find his way to the table and sit down, he was so exhausted. I examined the ichor- not an imperfection in sight."

She smiled, turning to meet her husband's eyes, "I went over to him, lifted that weary head of his, and watched those green eyes of his, almost the same color as that ichor. Even now, I look at him, no matter how far away, and see those eyes; the eyes of a man willing to spend hours on a chore, simply to impress me. even though he'd already had me."

Vylira sighed, "I guess that's a good one. I'd have preferred a good Shadowleaf story, myself."

"Some things aren't meant to be uncovered, dear," Cayssarin corrected, "And if you're being sincere, then it is, truly, too soon for you to settle, yourself."

Kyra grinned at her sister, playfully, "You only want what I have, you know."

Smirking back, Vylira replied, "Been that way our whole lives, ever since you were the spoiled one."

"Okay, okay," Eldris spoke up, "No sibling rivalry in the cart. Soon enough, we'll have a third one awake and there'll be hell to pay."

Vylira suddenly perked her head up toward the front of the wooden cart, as if just remembering that Kelaeth was there, her expression dropping as she sunk back into the back corner of her spot. Beside her, Kyra reached over toward Colin, who'd been sitting there, quietly, quite distant from the others, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

"Feeling better?" she asked, lightly, though it only elicited a silent nod from him.

Eldris turned toward him, sadly, "Just a bit under the weather, huh? Shame we have no priests here, but I'm sure there'll be a few up in Lor'danel if you can manage that long."

Colin nodded, again in silence, closing his eyes as his head sunk forward against his chest. Kyra leaned in closer to hold him, though he was too far-gone to feel any embarrassment. Despite learning that such closeness was rather common in front of others in night elf culture, Colin never really could shake the small sense of embarrassment creeping up within him.

"See?" Vylira muttered aloud, "That's what I want. But it's as mother says; it's only because I see it here."

Kyra turned her head toward her sister, though keeping her cheek against Colin's head as her father chuckled, "Now I don't need my children starting trends for one another."

"It's not just Kyra," Vylira sighed, hopelessly, "It's Nyl, too. Even though his wife is about as boring as a murloc's speech patter, you know, it just…"

She groaned, knowing full-well that she couldn't stop now, lest she face questions for the rest of the trip, "I've spent so many hundreds of years fighting for my people. Fighting for nature, for our lands. I don't know; it'd be nice to fight for a person for once; someone who fights for me, too."

For the first time probably any of them had seen, she turned away to hide a blush, "Sh-Shut up!"

Her mother smiled lightly, "I think that's only natural. You know, you're maturing into that matriarchal stage whether you like it or not; it's always a confusing time. Unless, of course, something traumatic happens and you just decide to wash your hands of the whole fighting thing."

Cayssarin sighed, "You need to think about all your comrades who didn't get a chance to mature as far as you have. Look into their faces. Those were the people you were fighting for; the people who were fighting for you."

Nodding, Eldris reinforcing the sentiment, though he went on to add, "Unless, you know, you're just getting to that point where you're just wanting to mate, of course."

"DAD!" Vylira blared out, leaving her parents no chance to notice Kyra's turn at blushing, thankfully, as she turned her face back into Colin's hair.

Eldris shrugged, "What?!"

"Dear," Cayssarin began to explain, as though attempting to be subtle, "You know Vy has always been embarrassed by body stuff. I mean, we had that talk with the lieutenant after she refused to remove her armor for inspection on her first day."

"Oh, that's right," Eldris nodded, though their conversation did little to keep Vylira from quaking in the corner of the cart, her face flushed a shade of red neither of them had ever seen.

Suddenly, the head of Kelaeth rose from the opposite end of the cart, her eyes just barely open as he spoke up, "Man, does the racket bring back memories of home…"

Vylira turned her head away quickly, though the two parents readily spun around toward their eldest, Cayssarin reaching over to hold his cheek, "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged as best he could, "Better. The fresh air certainly helps, as well as the moon water. Thanks again for that, by the way."

Kyra quickly spun her head around, stammering in reply, "Oh, n-n-no problem! It was Nyl and his wife's doing anyway; we just brought it for you guys."

Kelaeth nodded in understanding, though while looking at his sister, he noticed the man she'd had wrapped in her arms, Colin having fallen asleep in her embrace, "Is _he_ okay?"

Eldris nodded with a grin, "Just a bit sick. When one recovers, another finds some other ailment. I'd say it was just this family's penance, but I'd have to assume Elune has more patience and mercy than that."

He looked at Cayssarin, who stared back at him, unsurely, as he spoke back up, "What? He's a part of the family, isn't he?"

"Of course," Cayssarin replied as she turned to him, "I'm just concerned is all."

"Tyrande will reassure you," Eldris went on, relaxing his head down against his chest, "He'll be fine, especially in our care."

His wife nodded gingerly, though it only left Kelaeth with more questions, which he began to ask, but his eyes met with Vylira before his lips became crooked in a grin, "Ah, there's the girl who could fell an Ancient."

Vylira remained still, Eldris coming to her defense as he held a hand against Kelaeth's shoulder, gently, "Let her be."

Kelaeth held his tongue, simply shifting back and trying to get comfortable, "Well, we won't mend anything by being silent. I suppose we could do it by letter, like Kyra and the others, but judging by her lack of replies, I'd say it will take a bit more."

Her eyes staring at him from the corners of her eyes, Vylira expertly held her tongue, not allowing her body to show a sigh of the anger from within her. Thankfully, Eldris spoke up again, diffusing the situation further.

"Let's just get home first," he mumbled, "It's been a long trip and we have another who needs help."

Kelaeth silently ducked back into his seat, "I wasn't about to complain."

Suddenly, his body jumped up as he realized where he was, his body whipping to the front of the cart, seeing the world before him moving, but there were no beasts pulling the cart along. Slowly pulling himself over the edge, he peered down toward the ground, seeing the contraption the Colin had rigged up, his head almost bobbing in time with the weight that was magically pulling the wheels along.

Slowly, he turned back toward the others who, in his sudden outburst, had all been staring his way already, his voice full of confusion, "Who…did this?"

Kyra's head gently motioned toward the sleeping body of Colin, allowing Kelaeth's eyes to shine gently with curiosity before he turned back, falling into the front seat, muttering to himself, "Huh. Fascinating."

Leaving it at that, he lowered his eyelids as he took to rest once again, leaving Kyra to look up at her father, almost worriedly, but he shook his head, quelling her fears. She then buried her face, again, in Colin's hair, holding her arms around him tighter, allowing the small, short bursts of the wheels dipping past cobblestone lull her into her own sleep.

If she couldn't have Colin's voice to help her sleep, she would take his warmth and gently rocking of the cart, made by his hand, and find it.


	8. Down and Out, But Home

As though appearing as though they were wagon that had been dragged along the whole of Azeroth, ramshackle and nearly decrepit after so many miles, the Shadowmoon clan stepped onto the cool ground of Darnassus, looking about as half-alive as any Forsaken. Colin had been able to walk up the length of Rut'theran into the purplish haze that brought the group up here, though standing here beside the haggard bodies of Eldris and Cayssarin, the former of which was holding his dead-looking son, along with a pair of sisters who'd both seen better days, the whole scene was just something out of some ancient war epic.

"Okay," Kelaeth grumbled, "I can walk again. I'm not about to allow the Darnassians to see me carried along like some wretch."

Eldris obeyed him, pulling his hands away, though he smiled lightly, "Some of the great heroes you revered as a child were carried down this very avenue, you know."

Kelaeth nodded, "Yes, but none of them allowed any room for dirty looks or ill-will. Even walking on my own, I'm sure I deserve my own fair share."

"You'll regain the prestige you once were headed toward, my son," Eldris assured, patting his son's shoulder, though it only seemed to pain the man, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"Th-Thanks dad…" Kelaeth seethed, massaging up the length of his arm.

Eldris spun around, slowly, "Well, that's one invalid. How you holding up?"

Colin had become rather pale, though his words contradicted his appearance, "I'm fine."

Groaning, Eldris turned back around, "Well, hopefully we can make a clean getaway and won't have to answer to anybody. I know Sylvaya will be hunting for any reason to be a nuisance to us."

His head sank as Cayssarin gently poked at his side, the man's shoulders drooping as he sadly went on, "She right there, isn't she?"

Sure enough, Sylvaya stood there, unenthused, as if having waited for the group, albeit secretly, her hands held together in front of her, "Always a joy, aren't you, Eldris?"

The patriarch of the Shadowmoon quickly rose his head with a smile, "Only in the presence of such a fine Sentinel, I assure you."

The lieutenant rolled her eyes before turning her head to examine the rest of the troupe, "Cayssarin; always a pleasure. Vylira, I don't even have to ask. Kyra; why am I not surprised to see you back here, probably to take to your father's footsteps and raise hell for me. And…"

She eyed Colin, as if attempting to decipher some old as dirt memory at the back of her mind, "You're that human. Well, I suppose it was worth it if you two are still prattling around together."

Everybody had noticed that she'd ignored the presence of Kelaeth, though everybody had refrained from pointing it out, at least until Kelaeth himself spoke up with a light and friendly tone, "Forgetting someone?"

Sylvaya's eyes narrowed as she turned his way, her voice a cool knife into the air, "I only speak to Kaldorei. I've addressed a human, so that should demonstrate how close to dirt you truly are, here."

The lieutenant turned to take a few steps away as Kelaeth muttered under his breath, "I wasn't too lowly for you when I took you for a spin up at Wellspring for a night."

Sylvaya immediately froze, obviously hiding a blush, unable to turn back toward him or even speak. Kyra leaned forward, gently patting Kelaeth's arm with her fist in appreciation, though the lieutenant quickly began to walk away again, silently, leaving the group there alone.

"You know I don't like you disrespecting authority figures," Cayssarin chided with a sigh, "But good job."

Kelaeth chuckled, "It's the least I could do; we all need to just get home."

Cayssarin nodded as they began on, walking slowly around the banks toward the large bridge that crossed over toward the rest of Teldrassil. It was there that they saw Tyriel running down the same bridge toward them, huffing loudly as she slowed to a stop.

"Cayssarin!" she shouted, both of their faces lighting up as their hands met upon each other's forearms as their other arms wrapped around their torsos, "It's been so long! I'm sorry; I meant to be here before Sylvaya, but she wasn't going to be held back from seeing you all first."

"No, no; it was as pleasant as it could have been, I suppose," Cayssarin replied through a smile, "Look at you, though; surely you didn't retire because your body was giving out on you!"

"Ha!" Tyriel laughed, "I wasn't about to continue my work while watching over Kyra, here. It's a good thing I waited, though; I managed to get your daughter through quite a few fiery red situations."

Cayssarin watched suspicioualy as Tyriel leaned to the side, shooting a wink over toward Kyra, who simply lowered her head with a grin. Tyriel returned to normal, just now stumbling upon Eldris with a neutral glare.

"Eldris."

"Tyriel."

"Still hiding those scars of yours?"

Eldris grinned, "Still watching that knee of yours?"

Tyriel smirked back, "No, but only because you did such a crap job. Thank you for the thought, though."

The two shared a cordial handshake, silently leaving the other to their own devices. Tyriel went along greeting the others, but upon noticing Colin's condition, quickly began to wave them along.

"Sorry for the wait, lad," she apologized, "I'll give you all a personal escort out of here! Then you can be on your way. Sure you don't need a nightsaber or something? It's still quite a bit of a walk."

"I'm fine," Colin repeated, his legs sluggishly trailing along beyond the rest of the clan, earning a concerned look from Tyriel.

She shrugged, "Alright, but be careful."

Colin did his best to nod, though as he began looking greener and greener, he found it more and more difficult to move. His muscles were aching, crying out for relief as his mouth remained open to gain breaths, his sinuses held up painfully.

Walking alongside the group, Tyriel managed to catch up to Kelaeth, patting his back as she walked alongside him, "Good seeing you back on our team, boy."

Kelaeth turned to her, pitifully, "It's not…that bad, is it?"

"What, people's opinion of you? I mean, it's not stupendous, but was it ever amazing?" Tyriel shrugged, "You were rather ruthless beforehand; making shady deals and whatnot. Shape up a bit, though, and you may become quite the eligible bachelor again, though, you do have some baggage."

"Don't we all?" Eldris muttered from up ahead, grinning.

"See?" Tyriel went on.

Kelaeth sighed, "That's not what I meant. I mean, I'd like to help where I can; I don't want to get into politics or even relationships. I just want to right the wrongs I've done, in whatever way possible."

"Well, there's always room for forgiveness," Tyriel smiled, "Even Malfurion and his brother share words every now and then. Maybe you can help with getting some morrowgrain up here from Un'Goro?"

Kalaeth groaned as Tyriel snickered, "I'm sorry. Come on, we need some laughter to bring some levity! How about it, Co-"

As she turned back toward Colin, her face dropped in shock as his body suddenly froze up, falling forward, his face slamming into the ground as darkness surrounded him. Exhaustion had finally caught up with him, and in that darkness, he was susceptible to only his deepest thoughts and dreams.

* * *

Tyriel stepped out from the Shadowmoon family home, a look of dread on her face, though she tried to disguise it as she turned toward Kyra, who had been sitting outside, unable to help much when it came to healing magic. After Colin had passed out, he'd broken into a cold sweat as his body started burning up, leaving Kyra to make a mad dash back to Darnassus for a pair of nightsabers.

Being the only one with any sort of expansive medical knowledge, Tyriel rode beside Kyra toward the home, the elder not leaving the small home until just now, a good hour or so after the rest of the family had returned.

Kyra's head turned up toward her, sadly, as Tyriel sighed, making her way toward the ground as she sat, cross-legged, "Well, I don't know much of anything about human biology, but I do know that, as long as this fever persists, he's not dying. I know you said he mentioned a flu, but goodness knows I don't know what all that entails, and with him being unconscious, I can't exactly ask."

Patting her knees with either hand, Tyriel rose her head in finality, "But, like I said, he's not dying. Cayssarin has him under a cold towel and Vylira's out looking for some sort of cleansing herb, though she's probably wandering around, aimlessly, by this point, grumbling about how all the plants should do the same things."

Even in this time, Tyriel managed a light smile, "And you wondered why I never spend time teaching you any of this stuff."

Kyra shrugged, "Vylira is far more apt for things that require not-so-critiquing eyes."

Nodding in agreement, Tyriel sighed, leaning back against the wooden frame of the house, reaching over to hold he hand against Kyra's leg, "It'll be okay. I've never seen you so shook up; when I sent you off to him a while back, I thought you two were simply on some infatuated romp or something, but…"

She looked up toward Kyra, smiling sweetly, "You truly do love him."

Kyra nodded, "I've defied one god to be with him. I can't say I wouldn't do it again, if necessary."

Tyriel chuckled, shaking her head, "My, oh my. What the Shadowmoons do for love. Be it love for your people, or love for the enemy; nothing astounds me about your family anymore."

She laughed lightly, groaning, "And now you've brought poor Colin into the fold. I wouldn't be surprised if he was waltzing around Azeroth with immortality in his back pocket if he's associated with you all."

Tyriel turned to Kyra with a smile, expecting to have made her laugh, though she was met only with a stare she'd been well accustomed to- the sort of side-long stare that was a staple of any Shadowmoon who was trying to hide some mischievous or unbelievably fact. Tyriel's eyes narrowed, curiously, as she went on, quietly.

"Wait a second," she whispered, "You don't…"

"Please," Kyra interrupted, lowering her head further, "If you say it now…it'll just tear my heart up."

Tyriel watched her, concerned, "But Kyra, if what you're suggesting is true, then-"

Suddenly, Tyriel's met the silhouette of a striped, white nightsaber, strutting gently down the main little road of Starbreeze Village, forcing her to hurriedly rise to her feet, though she just as quickly leaned down to shake Kyra's shoulder.

"Up!" she instructed, "It's the High Priestess."

Kyra's eyes rose to see Tyrande Whisperwind approached, the high priestess raising a hand toward Kyra as she came into earshot, "Don't worry, young Shadowmoon. I've come to see the human. I'm afraid word has gotten around."

"As I expected," Tyriel replied, regrettably, as Tyrande descended from her mount, grasping a small bag that she'd strapped onto its saddle, "Hopefully it doesn't cause too much of a ruckus."

Tyrande shrugged elegantly, slowly, as if her body was as fluid as a gentle stream of water, "It got me here sooner than if not. May I ask, is he inside?"

Tyriel nodded, but instead of heading on in, Tyrande made her way toward Kyra, and as she came within a few footsteps from her, Kyra finally managed to stand, though her face remained bowed. Tyrande reached over, lifting her chin up to see her reddened, bleary eyes, the high priestesses own eyes turning a shade darker in sadness at the sight.

"I'll do what I can, young Shadowmoon, but you must remain strong," Tyrande explained, patting her shoulder with her other hand, "He's your mate…isn't he?"

Kyra nodded, proudly, almost immediately, "Yes ma'am."

Tyrande grinned, "That loyalty will serve you well, though I can't imagine how difficult such a thing could be between us and a human. Such a short time… I'll make sure it isn't any shorter than necessary."

Patting her shoulder again, Tyrande strode into the home, pulling Tyriel along, leaving Kyra standing there, staring at the soon-empty doorway. Despite Tyrande's comforting words, she was caught up by the dire words of Tyriel, thankful that she hadn't finished her thought, for she was unprepared to hear those words.

She leaned back against the house, sliding down the wall and onto the ground crossing her arms to shield her face as she began to tear up again, pulling her legs toward her. In the distance, she could hear the faint cursing in Darnassian of her sister, probably returning, fruitlessly, from her venture.

Sure enough, Vylira walked up along the side of the house, grumbling to herself before noticing Kyra, "Well, I did what I could, but I don't know why Tyriel wanted grass clippings from- Whoa."

She froze, her eyes locking onto the nightsaber, "Elune… Is that Ash'alah?"

The nightsaber peered over toward her direction before crouching onto the ground, laying there as if anticipating a long stay, leaving Vylira with a wildly awestruck face, "My goddess… So Tyrande's-"

She turned toward the door of the home, dropping the dainty basket of "herbs" onto the ground, "Well why the hell am I gathering this stuff, then?"

Vylira sighed as she raised her arms over her head to stretch them out, eying her sister from above before quickly kneeing beside her, "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay, alright? The High Priestess won't let anything happen to him."

Sobbing, suddenly, Kyra shook her head, "That's not what I'm afraid of."

Having the same idea that Kyra had had since Colin had first fallen ill, Vylira's face sunk. She leaned her body over so that she could sit beside her sister, reaching her arms around her quivering body.

"It'll still be okay," was all she could mutter, unable to find much of anything in the way of solace.

She hadn't ever been great at that, anyway. Although, if Kyra's thoughts were true, then Vylira knew she would have to learn to get much better at such things. for her youngest sister's sake.


	9. A Question of Immortality

The next night, though time itself was rather muddled upon Teldrassil, especially for Colin, who had been asleep for so long that his biological clock was ten ways out of whack, the human took a steady step out of the small home of Starbreeze, finally taking in a breath of fresh air- a welcome substitute from the elven herbs he'd been ingesting for almost two days now. He remained in the doorway for a moment, clutching the doorframe for a moment to make sure of his condition, eying Kelaeth, who was tending a small fire just a bit away from the house, his back turned.

As Colin took a careful step out of the house, Kelaeth's ears perked up, and he slowly spun his head around, noticing Colin with an uncertain look, waving him over.

"C'mon," the druid muttered aloud, "You could use a fire."

Colin watched him, but didn't mind accepting his invitation, taking a few wobbly steps, his muscles still maintaining a slight ache. Arriving at the fire, he slowly made his way to the ground across from Kelaeth, leaning back as he supported himself with his hands behind him.

"At least I'm not the only one whose main use within the family is keeping warm beds," Kelaeth joked aloud, smirking, "Though, I'd say you have me wholly beat in the usefulness department."

Colin watched him, unsure of how to respond, though Kelaeth went on, "That trick you pulled off with the cart was impressive. I spent so much time surrounded by druidic magic, I almost forgot about the arcane. I don't usually hear about humans your age pulling off stuff like that."

Shrugging, Colin replied, "I guess it's always been sort of a knack. I was always more on the burly side, but I never really enjoyed physical violence. If you're not willing to bring up a sword to defend yourself, you pretty much only have your magical skills, or you hire a bodyguard, and I never had much money either."

Kelaeth grinned, nodding, "Very true. I was always the opposite; I was always ready to raise my fists, or a sword. Magic bored me, and I despised -back then, we had very rigid gender roles- being forced into the druidic circles. Even when I was with Staghelm, I wasn't ever much more than a novice- most of what fueled my abilities were hatred and whatever corruption had overpowered me."

Thinking back to Mount Hyjal, remembering those hellishly green eyes, Colin lowered his head, respectfully, unable to find anything to say, though Kaelaeth also switched his attention to the fire, himself, as if disarming his attention from Colin in his own respect. The two simply sat there, watching the flames lap up at the atmosphere above it, radiating tiny bursts of heat toward the two.

"Your cheek," Kelaeth spoke up, suddenly, "I can only remember bits and pieces, but… that _was_ Elune, correct?"

Colin blushed, suddenly embarrassed by a question, and a phenomenon, that he hadn't thought about in a while, though he relinquished a steady nod, "I mean, I don't know how else to pour starlight from my skin. Nothing arcane can do that."

"Could have been something else," Kelaeth reminded, deftly, "My sister hasn't done a good enough of a job teaching you of our deities, I see."

Colin's head rose up slightly, his eyes just barely peeking up at Kelaeth from the flames, "I've heard her."

Now it was Kelaeth's turn for his eyes to look through the flames, this time in surprise, though his face quickly melted into a grin, "I guess that settles it then."

The night elf reached over for the metal poker, stabbing one of the now-hollowed logs until it incinerated into the ashes below, "Just curious. I do remember, when you grasped my face, I didn't see Elune for but a moment. Most of it was Ysera."

Curiously, Colin eyed him further, "But…she-"

"Died?" Kelaeth completed, chuckled, "My, my; what has my sister been teaching you? Although, maybe she isn't aware- most of our women still don't bother much with druidism, and the ones that do are still in their initial slumbers."

As if revealing a highly prized secret, Kelaeth leaned forward toward Colin, "True, Tyrande released Ysera from her Xavius' grasp, but that was simply her physical body. Her spiritual essence still remains, mostly prowling around the Emerald Dream."

He began to chuckle again, "Even within the Dream, I seem to be ostracized somewhat, though Ysera still peers at me like any other."

Colin quickly leaned forward, speaking matter-of-factly, "Hang on, you can still travel to the Emerald Dream."

Kaelaeth smiled, "Well, yeah; after a few thousand years, it isn't exactly a habit you can kick, at least not easily."

"No, no; I mean…" Colin stopped himself, pondering for a moment, "There's a druid, Ascal; do you know him?"

Kelaeth sighed, screwing his eyes upward in thought, "Not off the top of my head. Why?"

Colin looked around, now he appeared to be keeping a secret, "You can, uh, keep secrets from other druids, right?"

Curiously, Kelaeth returned his stare, "I doubt there's anything the others would like to steal from me, but no, we can't read minds or anything."

"And from the Aspects?"

Now Kelaeth's eyes narrowed, suspiciously, "To answer your question, Ysera can peer into any of our hearts and souls."

"What about the others?"

Kelaeth paused, "What are you wanting, human?"

Colin groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, "Can I ask you to do something? I mean, without you asking why?"

"I'm trying to rebuild my reputation, human, not tarnish it all over again with secret and deplorable missions," Kelaeth answered drolly.

"I just…" Colin paused, "Look, just… Can you ask Ysera, next time you see her, if she can let me know how Ascal is doing? She'll know who he is- he's a good friend."

Kelaeth lowered his head as he grinned, his body soon bouncing up and down as he laughed quietly, only looking back at Colin as he spoke up, "Mother and father were right. You two are in some pretty deep stuff. They wouldn't ever explain what it was, but I'm starting to get an idea."

Colin watched Kelaeth as he sighed, turning to look off into the distance, "Look, I have some tomes that Staghelm gave me before he defected. I kept 'em hidden, but couldn't get them before he took me away, so they're still here."

His eyes ran to the corners of his sockets, eying Colin's confused face, "I did… Let's just admit it here and now; I was a shit brother to the woman you love. I was so…dedicated to protecting the family from the very flames I ran to whenever I grew frightened, and I hurt her. in ways I dare not speak of. Yet, she forgave me."

He sighed, "I have no right to offer anything to her. But you- You still have a chance to protect her. If I can do anything to make it up to her, I'd like to offer the man she loves those tomes- you obviously have a strong enough grasp of magic, and…"

Kelaeth paused, thinking, "Man, here's the Shadowmoon in me coming out. It's, uh, 'dangerous' stuff; but only if the wielder of this magic is strong enough…'good' enough to properly practice it. Evil people will, just…well, you know."

"And what makes you think I'm 'good' enough?" Colin questioned, sincerely.

"I don't," Kelaeth answered, quickly, "Elune does. Ysera does. My sister does. I don't need to know anything about you; even one of those three are enough of a witness to that fact."

As Colin stared curiously, still, at Kelaeth, the druid grinned lightly, "You know, I have yet to witness Elune myself. You were the arbiter of the first time I'd seen her, and even that was just the briefest of seconds."

He chuckled, shaking his head, "I truly wasn't that good of a druid. Not good as a brother, or a druid… Certainly not a son."

Sighing loudly, Kelaeth pulled his legs out, rising to his feet, looking off into the distance as he stood there, still. Colin tried to see what he was peering at, but it was a moot point. Looking back at the druid, he saw those distant eyes, though with a twinge of peridot starlight.

"Yeah, I'll try and speak to Ysera for you," Kelaeth finished, turning to walk away, "And if you want those tome, let me know. It's the least I could do."

He took a few steps before stopping, grasping a handful of his shirt in his hand, his arm shaking as he spoke up, again, this time in a choked up voice, "For somebody…without a family. You deserved one so much more than I did."

Shaking his head, presumably to clear the tears from his eyes, Kelaeth quickly strode toward the house, disappearing into the darkness beyond the frame of the door, leaving Colin sitting there, alone.

* * *

It wasn't long that Colin had to wait until another Shadowmoon came sauntering around, though this time, it happened to Vylira, whose head was rocking back and forth as if running some musical tune through her mind. Her eyes closed, she didn't notice Colin watching her as she walked toward the house, though she nearly tripped on a ill-placed stone, quickly opening her eyes to avoid falling to the ground, though her recovery was far from graceful.

She hurriedly looked around as if to see who had witnessed her failure, though as she only noticed Colin, she frowned, mumbling loud enough for him, "Ah, shit…"

Colin grinned, "Are you expecting me to tease you?"

Vylira shot him a stare, "You might be hunting for payback, and there's nothing more bruising to a Silverwing's pride than being called out on poor balance and grace, as seen just then."

"I wouldn't ever tease a Silverwing," Colin replied with a sarcastic smirk as he poked at the fire, "I have a very general rule that has mostly served me well- don't annoy people who can kick your ass."

Vylira openly scoffed before replying, "Ha! That's bullshit and you know it."

"Hey now," Colin lifted his hands in innocence, wearing a goofy smile, "Far be it from me to insult somebody so swift and lithe!"

Grinning, Vylira fell to the ground opposite Colin, where Kelaeth had just been sitting a while ago, "I call it my lithe-lihood, if you must know."

Colin couldn't retain a rather hearty laugh, "Eh, I didn't "must know" that, no; that's the sort of thing I would happily tease you for."

"Alright, alright," Vylira nodded, coyly, "I'm just trying to get a bearing on your health is all. You must be getting better if you're able to laugh like that."

Shrugging, Colin went ahead and nodded, "I'm getting there. I've already put your parents in the wringer taking care of me once before; I wasn't about to forces them into that again. The last thing I want is to be a hindrance."

"Bah, you're nothing of the sort," Vylira assured, easily, "Mom and dad didn't even have to take care of you; as soon as the others left, Kyra didn't leave your side. It wasn't until Kel told her to go take a break, that he'd watch you, that she finally went for some alone time."

Eying her curiously, Colin noted, bluntly, "Good to hear you're using his pet name."

Vylira rolled her eyes, " Oh, shut up. Old habits are hard to break, even if somebody's done a good few centuries of crap to your family. I spent five times that much time calling him that."

She growled as she hit her fist into her other hand, twisting it angrily in her palm, "He had the audacity to ask if he could prepare tea for me."

Colin shrugged, "He just wants to make amends."

"Well," Vylira's eyes shifted angrily, "He's gonna have to do a lot more to prove himself, at least to me. And what are you smiling at?!"

Quickly avoiding her constricting eyes, Colin held a hand over his crooked mouth, "I don't know; it's just a bit humorous that Kyra held the brunt of his evil; that is, if you subtract your parents, of course. But she's forgiven him, they've forgiven him; far as I can tell, the only one who hasn't is also the one who constantly brags about having kicked his ass so many times growing up."

Vylira went on staring at him, though she suddenly shot her glare away into the distance, her voice grumbling, "I don't like talking to you anymore."

Colin chuckled in reply, "I may not be able to defeat a Silverwing in combat, but in conversation, juuust maybe…"

She didn't reply further, only continuing to pout as she sat there, possibly not wanting to return the home, having figured Kelaeth was still there. Colin continued tending the fire for a bit before standing and walking over toward a table that sat by the home, grabbing his small satchel that housed his drawing supplies, returning to his spot by the fire, though Vylira's eyes had begun to watch him.

"You still draw?" she asked, innocently.

Nodding, Colin replied as he opened up his sketch pad, "Well, for me, anyway, it's better than most therapists. I haven't had much reason to draw, though, for the last bit."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know," Colin shrugged, "I really only draw for three reasons: to remember places I've seen, to get thoughts out of my head, and to dream of things I wish I could see. I haven't much needed to draw, in that case."

Vylira's eyes caught his hand flipping through different pages, her lips crooking up into a devilish grin, "Ahh, you're trying to get another candid screenshot of the ever-lovely Vylira Shadowmoon, eh? Many men have tried for just a glimpse, and you've gotten more than that."

She waved her hand at him, dismissively, "You're not allowed another one, dear Dumerval. Put that thing away."

His eyes escaping atop the sketch pad to glare at her, Colin only laughed at her words, still continuing to pull out his quill, "Actually, believe it or not, I'm not interested in capturing the uncapturable. I'm seeing if I can't draw Teldrassil, here. It just seems so different since last time."

"Really?" Vylira asked, slowly allowing herself to fall backwards onto the ground, rolling onto her back as she stared up into those boughs she'd grown up beneath.

Colin smiled, his quill pausing against the light paper, "I don't know. Maybe I've just grown enough since last time. Just learning to take life a bit differently."

Vylira's eyes closed, mulling over his words. There was one thing that nagged at her, ever since hearing Kyra's words. She hated to think of that consequence, but she also knew it couldn't be avoided; though she refused to be the one to have to tell this man.

"Placebo, perhaps," Vylira spoke up, as if simply thinking aloud.

"Huh?" Colin responded.

He answered so innocently, it broke a part of Vylira's heart to think of Kyra returning, forced to tell the man that she loves the truth. A truth that would easily dismantle all that these two lovers had built until now.

The fact that, perhaps, this man wasn't truly immortal at all.


	10. In Need of Wyrmrest

Vylira has dozed off and on as she laid there, her arms resting back beneath her head for support. Every time she awoke, her eyes wandered over toward Colin, who was still drawing, nonstop, though he had slept a great deal and most likely had no need at the moment to return to it any time soon

The Silverwing turned her head away, watching the short road down through and out of Starbreeze, noticing Kyra walking down toward the two of them. Her eyes turned, sadly, a deep sigh escaping her lips as Colin's voice suddenly broke the air behind her.

"Oh, there's Kyra," he happily noted, the scribbling of his quill ceasing as his eyes watched her steady gait, "Hopefully she'll be happy to see me up."

Vylira's head spun against her arms toward him, "Why on earth would she think otherwise?"

Colin grinned, blushing slightly, "I don't know; I was told that, since I was so deep in sleep, she needed to administer some of the medicine herself, you know, orally."

Pithily, Vylira's eyes stalked Colin's continued smirk, shaking her head, "I swear, you two."

"I thought that was a night elf thing."

"It _is_ ," Vylira groaned, "We may be much more open with our shows of affection, but geez, we still have semblance of shame, especially here on Teldrassil."

Colin nodded, "Oh, well now that you mention it, Kyra has spoken a bit shamefully of Ferolas el-"

"Oh, those girls would jump on you at the first sign of living breath," Vylira groaned, ashamedly, "The Feathermoons would break you neck, though, if you made a pass at _them_ , so you'd best be cautious."

"Telling a loyal man to avoid hitting on other women," Colin laughed, "Thankfully, I don't even have to worry about being caught up in-"

"Considering some of the stereotypes, you wouldn't even have a choice," Vylira winked, forcing Colin to be taken aback as Kyra came into earshot, curiously.

She watched her sister, innocently, "Uh, why are we talking about my mate being taken by Ferolas women?"

Vylira smirked, happily, "He brought it up, talking about how proud he was to be making out, all hot and heavy, with a Teldrassil girl."

As Kyra's stare turned toward Colin, he quickly slammed his book closed, shouting, "Nuh uh! All wrong!"

Kyra smiled before walking around the fire to sit beside him, leaving Vylira to pull herself up to sit, herself, across from them, "If you wanted to experience the wiles of those girls, all your have to do is ask, you know."

Vylira rubbed a hand over her face to hide her shame, and although Colin blushed, he remained rather calm, "N-No, I mean… One of your most alluring qualities is just how demure you are- I'd hate for that to turn into the behavior of a sea nymph."

Kyra smiled contentedly, scooting close enough to Colin to close the distance, leaning her head against his shoulder, leaving him to speak up, "I don't think Vylira has ever seen such an extent of our affections. The first time she visited, we were too startled the whole time, and the second, we were too tired."

"Trust me, I'm not missing out," Vylira shot back, groaning, "And don't forget, that's my younger sister your talking about."

Kyra pulled her head back against Colin's shoulder so that she could speak up to him, "Ask her about Illeanor."

Colin's eyes sparked at Vylira as she threw her arms up dramatically, "Oh, here we go!"

Grinning, Colin questioned, "Who's Illeanor?"

As though wielding a stone tongue, Vylira didn't reply, though Kyra was happy to, "That would be her boyfriend from long ago."

The elder sister groaned, rolling her head back along her shoulders, as Kyra continued, "Well, not exactly 'boyfriend' in that sense. For one so entrenched within the druidic arts, Illeanor wasn't exactly pining for companionship."

"Don't tell me," Colin spoke up, incredulously, "She didn't go all Ferolas on him, did she?!"

Kyra giggled as she watched her sister bury her face in her arms, shamefully, "Well, she tried. She had him caught behind one of the workshops over in the Trade Terrace about to-"

"Shut up already!" Vylira cried out, shaking her head within her arms.

Kyra continued shaking with laughter, and to one so adept at teasing him, Colin was happy to continue, "Vylira Shadowmoon, you scoundrel!"

She groaned, nearly with a growl, "It didn't even take; that guy wouldn't have known a naked elf from a strung out quilen."

"No wonder you have such a negative opinion of them," Colin laughed, though Vylira's deep gaze met with his eyes.

"Don't even," she muttered, "Do you even know how much sisters tell one another about their mates?"

At that, Colin slowly managed to compose himself, clearing his throat as he pulled his sketch pad up toward him, clearing his throat, "If you'd excuse me, I have some drawing to do."

Kyra shared a quick grin with her sister, who smiled in triumph, happily, in return. A nice silence came across the three, then, though as Kyra contentedly nuzzled up beside Colin, who was busy drawing, Vylira was left with little to do but think. Think about her sister, think about Colin. It was torture to her to see her sister so blissfully putting off what needed to be said. Still, she refrained from speaking up. She had come to love Colin like a brother; a type of relationship that she was finding to come in less and less supply.

In her thoughts, Vylira must have been wearing a sad or lost or some kind of expression, because when she finally flashed her eyes toward her sister, Kyra was staring right back, having watched her for a prolonged period of time. The younger of the two hated keeping such massive things from the man she loved; not that she intended to keep it for long. These light moments were simply a refuge into the peace she had come to adore this last year.

She looked up at Colin's face, so still but, at the same time, so full of a passion as he carefully watched the picture beneath him come to a close, turning to Kyra with a smile. She so easily found herself lost in those eyes; found so much comfort in his soft face. Were she to tell him, she might never see either part of him again.

"Finished," he explained, softly, though his voice rose as he turned to Vylira, "Against my best efforts, you still managed to make it in, Vy."

She smiled faintly, just able to shoot back a characteristicly glib retort, "I'm sure you could tell your painting was horrible without me making it look good."

Colin shook gently with a quiet chuckle as his hand reached atop his sketch pad to close it, though his hand was met with Kyra's as he did, her fingers curling around his hand as his eyes watched her soft hand take his. He turned to see her watching the same, though her face was sad and lonesome, despite him being right there beside her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, quietly, reaching over toward her cheek, using the back of his fingers to lift her hair back and tucked behind her pointed ear, gently brushing its skin, causing her to tremble with a cold shiver.

Slowly, her mouth opened, though she barely found the will to speak for the longest time, until, finally, "…how many night elves do you find to be sick?"

Colin watched her, curiously, mulling over his mind her question, "Uh, I don't know, actually. I certainly can't recall an occasion where I've noticed one. Why do you…"

He could tell that his answer wasn't a good one, just by Kyra's eyes, which shimmered, sadly, as they just barely held at his. His mind ran through her question, along with what Vylira had muttered earlier, his head slowly turning toward her, questioningly.

In turn, Vylira's head turned down to avoid his stare, her mind still believing Kyra should be the one to make the connection, though as Colin spoke up again, she knew her sister wouldn't be able to tell him.

Colin stammered, "Wait, you… I don't-".

"You may not be immortal," Vylira interrupted, mercifully, at least when it came to her sister.

Colin quickly looked at Vylira, who now returned his stare, confidently, though still in sadness, as she went on, "It's just a possibility, but… People so close to immortality normally don't get ill; at least not to the extent that you were. I think my sister had that in her mind for days, and I didn't exactly catch that idea until recently, but…"

Dishearteningly, Vylira paused as Colin's head lowered in a daze. He probably hadn't heard much of what she had said, anyway. His head turned slowly as he heard Kyra's disjointed whimpers beside him as her hand reached up to her face, trying to hide her tears. Readily, he reached his other arm around her to hold her, pulling her as close as he could into her chest.

"Of course," Kyra spoke up in halting breaths between tearful paused, "The first person you think of isn't yourself."

Colin shrugged, "I see you crying…and I just know to comfort you."

Kyra managed a weak smile, though she still shivered with choking breaths, "It's why I love you."

Colin rested his head against hers, losing his eyes in her hair, taking in her scent as his mind ran through this new information, considering possibility after possibility, what to do, what not to do. Nowhere in his thought process did he considering something without keeping his love in mind.

"Okay," he spoke up, rather calmly, "I guess I need to find out the answer."

Vylira eyed him, curiously, "How do you figure you'll do that?"

Colin shrugged as best he could, considering his arms still tugged Kyra into his chest, "Go to Ysera and ask her."

Unable to help herself, Vylira let out an incredulous laugh as her eyes grew wide in shock, "Go to Yser- Kid, you've got some major issues if you think that's some short order anybody can make! You know what that even means?!"

Colin nodded, "Wyrmrest Tem-"

"Yeah, Wyrmrest Temple!" Vylira interrupted, heatedly, "Do you know anything about Northrend? especially these days? It was one thing back when there were champions around every corner; now it's a demonic wasteland of killer Vykrul, beasts the size of this house…"

She paused, leaning closer toward the fire, "The Dragonblight. The very landscape of that place looks like snow, even in summer, but all it is are the ashes of millions of dragons having perished there. And you want to go there looking for immortality?!"

"I have to," Colin replied, evenly, "I've made too many promises this last year to this woman. Promises I can only keep if I have what _I_ was promised. The last thing I'm going to do is sit here and tell the woman I love that I won't be there for her."

He lowered his head, recollecting his thoughts, before looking back up toward Vylira, "I'm a Shadowmoon now. I run off and do stupid stuff."

Vylira stared at him with an unamused grin, sighing as she shook her head, "By Elune, it's like I'm a mother…"

"If you mean to say I'm your child, I may completely run off your drive to settle down," Colin grinned, lightly, happily to add some sort of levity to the conversation.

Colin lowered his head again, finding some more practical thoughts, "I already asked Kelaeth to see if he cant find Ascal in the Dream. I'll see if he can't ask Ysera about this, though the pit in my stomach says she'd be silent and consider this another obstacle for me to surmount."

Vylira looked away, like a child upset with their friend, "You set the bar too damn high."

Colin smirked, "Besides, it's not just me."

He reached up and gently ran his hand over his cheek, "Elune be with me."

"You'll need more than Elune," Vylira noted, sadly, "Northrend is the land of the Wild Gods. Cenarius, himself, relinquished much of his view to the mightiest of these gods- Ursoc."

She sighed, absently, "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just… I'm just letting you know. If you haven't noticed, you're like my kid brother or something; as far as brothers go, I've grown closer to you than most of the others, and I even managed to lose one. I'm not exactly keen on losing another."

Colin smiled, "Thank you."

Vylira groaned again, standing up, "Ick, that sounded stupid."

"No, no," Colin replied quick, "You're very sweet, Vy. I know you'd much rather be a cool, uncapturable badass, but remember, I've caught you twice, now."

She watched him, curiously, as he pulled up his sketch pad, showing off his last piece: a elegant little scene of the three of them around some dark, Teldrassilian fire. Vylira nodded, her lips squeezing together as though taken aback, though she continued walking off, quietly.

"I'll let you two to it," she finished, "You know what I think."

Colin nodded in thanks, returning to Kyra, who had fallen into a silent stillness as she remained within the arms of her lover. He didn't ask questions; he simply was there for her, as silently as she'd been. They had time to talk, later.

They had time.

Though, Colin couldn't be sure how much.


	11. Lost, Together

Colin quietly stood above the extinguished flames at his feet, making sure the last embers had gone out. Kyra had gone for a walk, ensuring him that she would make any decisions on her own, though Colin knew that to be a lie. While he made lists, it was Kyra who always had done the planning; Colin simply made sure that, no matter what her plans were, he would know that they were prepared. Though, of course, he had no lists for this. Hw had no idea how to prepare.

As Colin watched the final speck of red burn out within the small pile of ash, he ran his hand threw his hair, exasperated. He had slept for so long, yet felt exhausted now, forced into a dramatic, emotion-altering mindset. He looked over to where Kyra had started off, slowly walking off in the same direction, hoping to catch up, maybe.

Despite the tree having its share of beasts, there wasn't much of anything to fear, as long as you avoided the grellkin, anyway. Colin had known from his first visit, however, where they were, as well as the small settlements of furbolgs, and he easily made his way down south, unworried.

That wasn't exactly true, though. He did worry. Worried for his future, worried for the lover he was now pursuing, worried for his own health. As much as he wanted to begin his own plan of attack, he did what he could to prevent himself from doing so; he certainly knew he was better at that than Kyra, anyway, though he had always enjoyed her foresight.

Walking slowly along the pathless grove of large trees, light grass, and the occasional dryad, Colin finally came across a small lake, his eyes following its still waters just long enough to find Kyra, sitting alone underneath a tree, her legs pulled up to her chest as she quietly shook, rhythmically.

Colin quietly approached her, cautiously, so as to not startle her, figuring he should probably say something before just appearing, "Hey."

Kyra's eyes gently peered over her arms, and even with that small exposure, Colin could tell how red her eyes were. He continued on toward her, sadly, falling to his knees beside her and simply holding onto her hand, as he couldn't manage a hug with her against the tree.

"I forgot," he spoke up quietly.

She sniffled, shaking her head, "It's fine. Vylira's only seen me cry once, but you still have her beat."

Colin smiled grimly, "It's not exactly a competition."

A quick laugh escaped Kyra's anguished face, followed by a shake of her head, "I know. I just didn't want to risk anybody else seeing me like this."

Leaning over to sit beside her, Colin retained her hand in his own, watching his thumb run back and forth against her soft skin, leaving thin streaks of white behind, only to see them elegantly shade back into pink quickly enough.

"I don't want you to go," Kyra confused, quietly, her face still hidden.

"What?" Colin replied, surprised.

He looked at her, knowing she could feel his gaze, though she didn't continue. Although shocked, Colin remained calm, simply digging his arm between her shoulder and the tree so that he could hold her. He pulled her into him, her face falling until his hand reach up to support it against his chest.

"Kyra, I want nothing more than to-"

"I can't have you dying," she cried out, suddenly, "I would rather have you for seventy years than have you die tomorrow."

Colin's face fell against Kyra's hair, his eyes staring off into the distance as he kissed her scalp, "I can't live knowing I promised you immortality. Promised you thousands of years by my side, and I can't keep it. I want to see you grow old. I want to see our children. I want to see how much the world goes by, and how little that matters when I have you with me."

His eyes fell toward her violet hair, sadly, pulling her head up, gently, to rest it back against his shoulder. Her eyes had been closed, but she opened them as she stared up into his own, unable to hold the tiny bits of starlight from rolling down her cheek. Colin pulled his opposite hand up, pulling a bit of his sleeve up into his fingers, slowly wiping her face as her eyes watched his face, so still and calm despite his future potentially crumbling around him.

He'd done the best he could do at focusing on her tears as he dapped his sleeve up a d down her cheek, but he couldn't resist his focus falling into her softly shining pair, his hand gradually pausing against her face. He'd only dried off the far side of her delicate skin, though now entranced by her endlessly swirling eyes, he couldn't help but pause and take in the sight.

Slowly, he allowed his head to lower itself, his lips stopping just under her eyes, gently kissing atop the trail of starlight that had worked its way down, slowly pulling back, only to return further down. It soon became tireless work as Kyra began to tear up once again as he worked, having fallen so in love with his lips that now seemed so distant. Everything about him seemed so much more so, now that his mortality was in question, and she couldn't stand it.

She spoke up, chokingly, as Colin's lips continued drying her now endless stream of tears, "I don't want to lose you."

Colin continued kissing at her now endless tears, despite there seeming to be no end in sight. Kyra sniffled as he dedicated himself, fully, to her, and hear hand ran up to reach behind his neck, gently.

"If you don't get my lips, they'll never stop," she spoke in a light whisper.

Without much thought, Colin's lips trailed hastily down her cheek before coming to her own lips, Kyra suddenly pulling on his neck, not wanting him to pull away for anything. Not that Colin would have chosen much different, his arms tightly clutching around Kyra's spry body, taking in her warmth which now seemed to radiate as she found herself more and more lost within his lips.

As Colin's neck was she'd of her hand, Kyra pulled back just slightly, though Colin wasn't about to allow himself to be denied her, and he quickly managed to latch his lips onto her neck, his face quickly following behind her. She wrapped her hands around his head as she shook, his lips following the trails they knew to take, having learned every inch of her body by now.

"W-We spent so much time living like humans," she managed to speak between gasps of succulent breath, "We forgot to live like night elves."

Colin didn't stop his worship, though managed to acknowledge her words by gently pulling her away from the tree, delicately resting her body against the ground without his lips leaving her skin for more than the shortest of seconds. His hands held onto the ground on either side of her to support himself, but Kyra's managed to remain around his heads.

One of her hands broke away and found its way toward his chest, pressing against his sturdy frame, her eyes staring up into the endless streams of branches and leaves above, "If I lose you, I don't know if I'll lose my heartbeat as well."

Colin's lips stopped, allowing his face to simply remain against the crook of her neck, still feeling the heat off of her skin from where his lips had worked, Kyra's voice continuing in a heart breaking cadence, "It won't ever beat in time with another."

Hearing her, Colin reached his hand up and around her head, pulling into his own neck, hearing the subtle whimpers of sadness by his ear before he spoke, lightly, "That mean that my heart beats alongside yours, as well."

He lowered her head as he pulled his own away, allowing their eyes to meet as he continued, "So I have to protect yours just as relentlessly as I protect my own."

As though his words had addressed her very core, Kyra's hand closed around his shirt, tugging him closer, submitting herself, once again, to his worship for the most supple inches of her skin. Continuing along her neck, he ran his lips in a rapturously slow pace up toward her jaw, crossing over and working toward her lips, her own pair accepting his readily as her eyes closed atop her tear-stained cheeks.

Steadily, Colin brought his knees up between either side of her, freezing up both hands, his newly hand quickly reaching up to join his other at her cheeks, the cold dirt having made his hand bite her cheek with a chill, only making his lips burn that much more until her skin began to heat his.

Breaking from his shirt, Kyra's hands reached up to grasp around his wrists supportively. His tongue started to lovingly lap at her lips, leaving her with her suddenly insatiable desires. Her lips only left his to close around his tongue, gently sucking on it before returning to his lips, not wanting to lose that delicate skin that had worshipped her so, and which she'd come to worship. As she heated up, her own tongue emerged, twirling around with its own mate, both of their senses beginning to dull before the magnitude at their mouths.

Kyra could barely even realize that Colin's hand was pulling away from her cheek. The sudden cold that replaced his warmth was what bit her awake, her hand following along at his wrist, knowing where he was headed without breaking free from his mouth's tender grasp. A soft moan hummed into Colin's mouth as his hand found its mark atop Kyra's breast, keeping it there, still, as if to tease her, though she remained still besides for the fluid motions of her lips.

A steady tingle began to run through her body, stemming from the warm hand that only lightly squeezed at her, just enough for her to realize, again, that it was there. Another moan; her hand remained at his wrist, but she brought the other to his hand, her fingers running between his, trying to move his hand to entice her further.

In a flash, however, Colin's head flew down, grasping a bother her hands, his fingers skillfully wrapping around fingers from both of hers, before hurriedly bringing them up above her head, locking them in place between his hand and the ground, leaving Kyra with an overwhelmingly deep moan from the submissive posture she now was forced to assume.

Sure enough, her legs began to squirm, tears beginning to form as Colin's hand was left free to do what it pleased. Enough with the teasing, his hand curiously ran down and underneath her shirt, lifting the thick fabric up her torso as it made a beeline for her supple chest, clutching its burning warm skin, easily the softest, most loving place Colin had ever found to bring against his own skin.

His mouth began to vibrate, heating up even further, as Kyra began to vocalize, louder and louder, despite desperately keeping her lips entangled with Colin's, trying whatever she could to find some sort of advantage, for he had her like putty in his hands. Were he to stop now, she was sure she would go mad with anticipation.

The more his hand moved atop of her, the more she moaned into his mouth. The more she found his bottom lip to suck on, desperately clinging onto her mind. His thumb ran across her nipple, forcing a sudden cry to escape her mouth as she instinctively pulled away due to the shock, leaving her there, beneath him, staring up into his eyes as her chest steadily rose up and down.

Colin's eyes worked their way down her form, examining her shapely body, unhindered by her arms. She seemed to flow, from her fluid hair to her elegantly formed torso, down to her nimble legs. His hand closed atop her pair, which she reciprocated as best she could, as he leaned down to kiss at her neck, finding the spot right in its crook before sucking there, lightly, his hand suddenly running in a circle atop her breast.

Kyra immediately gasped as her fingers clutched tightly against Colin's hand, her nails nearly digging into his skin before she began moaning aloud, the nerves within her neck firing like an electric current with each of supple grasp of his lips. Colin had learned to move up and down her neck and not to remain for long. She would always shiver if he allowed his bottom lip to slide just above her skin as he moved up closer to her jawline, catching the microscopic hairs that tickled a hundred nerve endings.

Colin's hand fell away from her breast unceremoniously, not bothering to pull her shirt down to cover her skin. His fingers above her began to press into the dirt beneath her hands as if preparing to brace him for what was sure to come. Kyra could tell as well, both from that, as well as his opposite hand sliding ever so delicately against the thin skin of her stomach.

She began to squirm as his index finger swirled around the center of her stomach, forcing a smile out of Colin as the slightest of hopeless whimpers escaped Kyra's lips as she turned her head away, "I can't help it. I'm so vulnerable with my hands up here."

Colin chuckled as his fingers went on, "You say that as if you're not the most adorable thing in the world right now."

Even in her heated state, Kyra managed an unwilling blush, keeping her head turned away, though Colin could now see her thinly quick breaths against the dark earth between each tuft of grass.

His finger slowed as he worked it atop her skin, falling toward her side and rubbing along the crick between her waist and hip, in love with that sweetest of curvatures upon her body. She squirmed around, his finger tickling at her, though in her impassioned state, it was simply more of a shock to her nervous system, causing her legs to wiggle around, one of her knees even pulled against Colin's back as it raised up, trying to find some sort of relief from the tension welling up with her.

Colin smirked as he lowered his head toward her's, giving a quick peck upon her lips as he looked into her reddened, starlit eyes, "How do you put up with me?"

Taking in a few more quick breaths, Kyra replied, weakly, "I hate the wait, but damn if I'm not enraptured by the sheer amount of worship you put toward my body."

Chuckling, Colin shook his head, bringing his free hand up to straighten out the few strands of hair that had found their way on top of her face, though he kept them near her lips, his voice echoing throughout their small spot upon this massive tree, "Open."

Kyra eyed him, more from embarrassment, unable to bring her hands down to resist. Colin simply held his two fingers against her chin, knowing she'd obey soon enough. Her eyes watered up, more so from anticipation; her resistance was mostly a game, despite how red her face had become.

She found it unfair how much their roles had reversed from how they should be; Colin the lascivious human whose lifespan dictated that he should seek that release every other second, and Kyra the much more prim, almost monastic in her level of such activity. Now, she could shudder with the right touch, and find her blood boiling with just the simplest of temptuous stares from her lover. Unfair, she thought, but not unfun. unamazing.

To that end, she solemnly acquiesced, her lips parting to allow Colin's fingers entry, his two digits held together as her lips encircled them, her tongue running down the groove that ran between them, swirling around their tips, working up the slightest bit of saliva as she sucked, knowing what was about to happen.

Colin had been just as worked up for a while, a fact not lost upon the person whose thighs had found him straddling. While she could feel his hardened mass, knowing him to be as horny as she was, it wasn't until she sucked upon his fingers, her eyes nearly closed, allowing her the slightest of gazes up at him, did she realize his own breath starting to quicken as he stared down at her, gently pulling his fingers in and out of her mouth as though wishing it were another part of his body.

With an audible "pop", he pulled his fingers from her mouth, her sultry eyes narrowed in anticipation as his hand disappeared down toward her stomach again. He adjusted himself before Kyra felt her slim pants suddenly expand, a foreign object snuggling up against her croth beneath the tug of the elastic.

In a split second, her entire body bolted up in shock, her hands nearly ripping from underneath Colin's, though he had prepared well. Her body forcibly submitted to his fingers- two objects of such massively minuscule importance, though they now shook her entire world to the core, made her very heart tremble, and forced her into a mindless pattern of quivers in between suddenly jolts to her muscles.

Colin ran his fingers in circles around her, not breaking eye contact with her, savoring each and every lustful shape of her face as she attempted to control her own nerves. His fingers ran down her slit, parting her lips before gently making their way inside of her, Kyra's nails digging into Colin hand as the buildup of pleasure suddenly burst atop of her, a loud groan of ecstasy escaping her lips as her other pair readily accepted Colin's own serving of ecstasy.

Kyra's legs quickly squeezed together, smushing Colin's hand together, though he continued along, running his fingers in and out of her, simply working with his knuckles as her legs bound his hand against her crotch. Luckily, he'd kept his hand in the proper place, and as his fingers followed along the succulently warm and tight folds and ridges within her, he was still able to run an edge of his finger against her spot, forcing her body to buck up, suddenly, her hands yanking against Colin's as her head lifted up amidst a rather loud cry of shocked pleasure, her eyes watching him, worriedly, through hazy vision.

Her teeth gritted together as she cringed with every move of his fingers, forcing her moans more into animalistic growls as Colin worked her, simply smirking as he went, his eyes switching from her deep eyes watching his hand to his body, which convulsed with every rub of her spot.

Her moans increased as she does toward orgasm, her tears welling up from the sheer amount of pleasure. Suddenly, her foot raised up, catching Colin at his chest, and suddenly pushing him back off of her, resulting in his hand following along as he fell backward on to the ground, sitting there, watching Kyra bringing her hands down to a more comfortable position, her body laying there, limp, as her torso rose and fall in exhaustion.

Colin watched her, confused, knowing she hadn't gotten off yet, though she started reaching for her shirt to pull it up and over her head, leaving Colin entranced as her hair fluttered up behind her before floating back to the ground, her mouth still open to breathe deeply.

"Strip," she ordered, watching Colin as her hands reached down to remove her pants.

"Yes, my love," Colin replied, standing up in obedience as he grasped at his own pair of pants.

Kyra watched him intently, her legs returning after tossing off the last of her clothes. Her feet slid toward her, exposing her supple lips as her knees rose into the air. Her eyes gazed at Colin's crotch as he began to undress, her own fingers beginning to run down her length as she panted aloud, her eyes flashing as he exposed himself.

After throwing his shirt off, Kyra's hand pulled away from herself, her deepest finger pulling back to get him to come over her. He did as instructed, though he grasped her wrist and pulled her fingers into his mouth to return the favor from earlier, shutting his eyes as he savored her taste.

Now clean, her fingers pulled away, holding steady against his shoulder as she lifted her torso up to meet him, more or less, kneeling over her, her words almost reverberating in the air with a lustful heat to them, "I may have some Ferolas in me yet."

Colin chuckled with a smirk, "You don't say."

"There is nothing so…ravishing about you than when you get that look in your eye," Kyra spoke, confidently, her breath still somewhat lost in heavy breaths, "You look like an absolute…beast of a man and I just… You're always so reserved and, you love me so much; sometimes I just want you to take me. When you took my hands and held them down, it was like you were caging your animal."

Colin's eyes quickly examined the landscape, noting, "This whole outdoor thing really changes you, huh?"

Kyra's hand squeezed his shoulder in frustration, "I'm trying to make a pass at you; don't psychoanalyze me."

Only laughing quickly in reply, Colin reached over and grasped her waist, her eyes following with a light glow of anticipation as he began twisting her around until she was on all fours, suddenly freakishly embarrassed by her pose and choosing to hang her head low between her arms.

The palms of her hands now against the cold ground, her eyes only barely opened, only seeing just a bit of Colin's movements from underneath her, when his fingers returned between her thighs, leaving her with a quick yelp in shock. His fingers went up massaging her lips, teasingly; his body leaning closer toward her so that his other hand could come down just at the small of her back, slowly running up her spine, causing her to shake even further.

As his palm smoothly ran up to her neck, he suddenly shoved his fingers in side of her, forcing another sensational yelp to escape her, her body nearly falling to the ground as her suddenly weak arms just barely supported her as she panted out hot breaths, her closed eyes only heightening the pleasure that welled up inside her.

Colin's hand slid back down her back, though took a detour this time around, gently running across her side and suddenly grasping one of her breasts as he leaned his body down atop of her, kissing her back as both his fingers drove into, across, and unto her body, leaving Kyra's mind a staticy, blank mess.

Trapped in his loving arms, Kyra found herself slipping further and further toward the ground as her arms continued gasping at more tufts of grass to hold onto as her mind raced away from her, her torso continuously slipping out of the reach of Colin, who allowed her that freedom, though at the cost of his fingers, which slowly trailed out from within her. Her bleary eyes tried to catch what he was doing as she lazily turned her head, but about halfway around, she felt his two hands grab at her cheeks, powerfully, just before his lips came to her softest of skin, a cry of pleasure releasing from her other pair as her back suddenly arched in response.

Parting her lips with his thumbs, Colin lapped at her delicate skin, kissing her folds, following the patterns that forced her to either moan or shake in pleasure. He had learned well since being her lover, inside and out, as it were, putting his expertise to good use in his pursuits to so powerfully bring her world crumbling into himself, bring the two of them into a quivering mess of oneness, if only for the slightest of moments before being put back together again.

Colin could feel her speeding toward climax as she began to heat up, her insides even beginning to quiver independent from her body as the sounds of heavy pleasure arose from her other end, her arms shaking as she desperately tried to keep ahold of herself.

Before she could finish up, however, her world fell I to darkness just as Colin's tongue fell away from her lips, leaving Kyra there, whimpering, teetering on the brink of orgasmic collapse. Her hands ran along the ground as if searching for something, her mind just lost enough to not know exactly what, but in an instant, she felt a force entering her, almost burning as the cold surrounding her nude body bit at her.

Her voice burst out into a large moan, trailing into a sultry whimper as Colin leaned over her, wrapping an arm around her while his other hand supported the two of them. He brought his face to the back of her neck, burying himself in her hair and neck, his hot breath hovering across and should her, his own heated body turning her on as she, more or less, allowed her torso to dangle against Colin's arm.

Colin grunted, his breath snapping the cold down her spine, "You're going to have to hold yourself up, babe."

He might as well have been speaking Zandalari, for Kyra remained motionless, save for her panting, the rise and fall of her chest, and, apparently, her vocal cords, as her voice continued coming out as soft cries with every exhale. She was surrounded by him, inside and out, and given that they'd never done such a thing in such an environment, she had been overwhelmed.

Colin breathed heavily against her skin, frustrated by his inability to press on, though if she were serious, and she wanted to be "taken" in that way, then… He lifted himself and pulled his arm away, swiftly collecting her hair, which caused a suddenly, confused cry. He yanked her back, lifting her up alongside a pleasurable scream as her arms desperately grabbed at the ground to keep her from simply hanging by her hair.

Leaning back atop of her, though not relinquishing his hold, Colin gently took a bit of her skin at her neck into his lips, sucking at her before muttering, quietly, "D'ana'no diel Ishura T'as'e. Let's make love like night elves."

Her blood boiled, alongside a noticeable constriction along the length of Colin's shaft, as he pulled her hair back, lifting her head back enough from him to reach his head over and meet her lips, Kyra more than ready to reciprocate, though she hadn't much the faculties to reply with anything.

Kyra's body shook every time Colin shoved himself into her, leaving her lips quivering as she chose tears over crying out in pleasure. Her fingers curled, digging into the dirt below, her breaths heaving in time with Colin's thrusts. He released his hold on her hair, running his fingers through her amethyst locks as her strands fell away, his body stopping inside of her as he beat overtop of her his hands holding onto her hips to support himself.

Her wavering, panting breaths released into the air as steam, which Colin easily noticed, kissing her neck from behind once again. Her eyes shut tightly as his hand reached up to grope her breast, gently massaging her as his hip began its rhythmic dance once again, slowly, giving him enough control to suck at her skin. He knew it drove her crazy.

Amidst her succulent moans, she yelped rather loudly whenever Colin bit at her skin, though just a nibble, her face turning over her shoulder to watch him as he kissed at her, eyes closed. Hearing her panting having come closer, his eyelids just barely broke to see her, watching those eyes so full of anticipation and frustration.

Suddenly, she lowered her head, her voice falling silent, save for the tiniest of groans. Colin could feel her entire body tighten, though he continued running into her, deeply, his own mind quickly rushing toward whiteness as her body coiled around him, making out the grooves within her that had become like home to him.

Finally, in the most sudden of bursts, her voice pierced the silence, her body shaking, inside and out, her arms trembling as she struggled to hold herself up. Following along, Colin grunted against her back as his own pleasure ran over, having been overcome by her own release. As Kyra came to her conclusion, her lover held her tightly as his own release occurred, running throughout her body, burning her very core, burning her skin as he wrapped himself around her.

His breath blew heatedly along her back, managing to place a hand on the ground to help Kyra support the two of them, knowing she was probably just as prepared to collapse to the ground. He kissed her between breaths, up and down her back.

"You're a beast," Kyra managed, her voice shivering.

Colin could only grin, "Your wish is my command, my love."

* * *

Somehow they'd found enough strength to roll down onto the ground, their energy completely spent as they lay there. Colin grasped for his shirt, which was rather large, trying his best to cover the two up as he rolled into Kyra, her hands pulling his head into her chest. Their breaths were still labored, but had begun to slow, slightly, though Colin tried to time his breaths with his lover's, doing what he could to emulate her.

She smiled, tugging harder against his head, "You're so cute."

His head adequately hidden between her two breasts, Colin was happy that his face was obscured, though he still managed to speak, "Guys don't exactly like hearing that."

He could nearly feel her pout as she replied, "Then why were you doing something so cute?"

Muted, Colin simply chose to lose himself into Kyra's bosom, rather than continue down such a blush-worthy conversation, closing his eyes as he submitted himself to her warmth. His hand managed to reach over her stomach, simply resting there in an exhausted attempt at holding her.

"Hey," Kyra spoke up, quietly, "You said you loved that I allow you to be so romantic, right?"

Colin nodded.

"So this whole Northrend thing is just an extension of that?"

"Pretty much," Colin replied, slowly, managing to lightly kiss the most tender of her skin.

Kyra fell silent, but held her arms tighter against her lover, her eyes staring up into the treetops above. She saw herself sitting somewhere with this man, thousands of years from now, holding hands and keeping the other held just like this. On the other hand, she saw herself, alone, having lost this man to, either, the age of man, or this stupid adventure.

Slowly, her voice emerged, "Then let's do it."

Colin's head tilted up to look at her, his hair brushing softly against her skin, "You don't have to-"

"Where you go," Kyra reminded, her eyes meeting his, deeply, "I am sure to follow. I wouldn't want to disappoint your Emerald Lady."

Despite looking up and away from him, she could feel his stare boring into her. She smiled as she laughed, just lightly to keep Colin from getting shell-shocked atop of her, her fingers running through his hair.

"I'm kidding."

Colin groaned, "I know, but my loyalty isn't a laughing matter, at least not to me. That's something I value and take seriously."

"As do I," Kyra responded, seriously, "Knowing me for two years, I still cant believe I managed to find somebody who is willing to be so loyal after so little time."

"It wasn't just a little time," Colin replied, softly, sliding his hand up her torso and back around underneath her shoulder as though hugging her as best he could, "I've known you for fifteen or so years, since I was a teenager. I didn't know your name, or what you looked like; god knows I had no idea I would have the fortune of you being so beautiful. I had no idea how long it would take to learn those, but even then, I knew how much I would love you. How much I would give to you, how much of you I would kiss and love and-"

Kyra's fingers squeezed against his scalp as she pulled him tightly against her chest, bringing him to a pause. He remained there, obediently, simply waiting for her to speak, or not to speak. Perhaps she was simply in need of his warmth, the same way he needed hers.

"Stop," she finally managed, weakly, "You're going to make me cry again."

Colin couldn't help but grin, uninhibited by her ability to see his face. His eyes trailed down toward her skin, realizing rather quickly that this woman held his entire world, yet so easily could force Colin to lose everything. He easily lost his attention to her whenever she walked into a room, he lost his whole body into hers on occasion, he could easily lose himself in her eyes.

Surrounded by not much more than her arms, breasts, and body heat, he came to realize that she'd also taken his breath from him, once again. He simply kissed her as he rolled his face into her chest, still just as happy to breath her in if she was so content with taking his breath away. He needed to reclaim it from her, anyway.

"I love you," Colin cooed.

Kyra smiled, "Are you telling me, or-"

"I'm just reminding you," Colin clarified, "I'm not just saying it to hear you say-"

"I love you."

Colin's eyes narrowed, sarcastically, "-say it."

Kyra grinned brightly, "Just reminding you, my love."


	12. An Unexpected Voyage

Vylira threw the rope over the small cart toward Colin, who managed to grasp it in one go, tying it over the boxes that had lined the interior of the cart. Vylira did the same before they moved on to the final rope, tying it down as Eldris followed behind to examine their work.

"Hmm. Subpar, but its just going to Darnassus, so…" Eldris critiqued, earning a stare from his daughter.

"Hey, pops," she complained, lowly, "That's a Silverwind knot right there; that stuff's not going anywhere."

"That's the problem," Eldris shrugged, "If this cart toppled down a hill somewhere, nothing's going to break away and it'll all just crush into itself."

Vylira groaned, though it was Colin who chuckled a reply, "Thanks; we'll try to not go a hundred miles an hour with this thing."

"Even you're sarcastic," Eldris groaned, rubbing his eyes, "Nobody listens to me; not even my children's mates."

Colin grinned, though more because of his designation of him as Kyra's mate. It was a nice thing to hear regardless, but given the events of the night before, it held a sort of primal, lovingly dirty connotation to it, at least in Colin's mind, though he hoped that those around him couldn't tell the difference.

He turned, however, to catch a sly smile from Vylira as she finished up her end of the rope, her eyes just barely catching his from over top the cart. Colin nervously looked away, knowing she was just trying to tease him; even though everybody on this tree would have simply dismissed his and Kyra's act, Colin knew that Vylira knew just how embarrassing it must have been to a human.

He ducked behind the cart, groaning, as he feigned some act of preparation as Kyra returned to the cart, her eyes skimming over a notebook in her hands, "I believe our best bet would be going eastward. It's more friendly to us, in general, and I don't care to cross more of the Dragonblight than we must. Going from the Fjord, up to Wintergarde; we might could even get a damned hippogryph to fly us over the blight."

Eldris sighed, patting the back end of the cart as he finished his inspection, "So you two are really going up there."

Kyra looked up at her father as the man's eyes faded slightly as he addressed Colin, "I don't have to tell you that living a single good human life is worth as much as any other."

Colin grinned, hid eyes peeling up from his slouched fa e, "Well, I promised your daughter quite a few more than one lifetime, so I better make sure I honor that."

Turning away from Eldris, Colin scoffed, nervously, "You probably think I'm insane."

"No… No," Eldris clarified with a smile, "Remember, I gave up my whole life for my partner. These same scars that made me revered along the Illidari made me despised by these people that my mate calls her own; I knew they would when I chose to give myself to her. She kept me safe, and I'm sure my daughter will do the same for you."

The two looked back as Kelaeth stumbled out of the house, attempting to carry a rather large box, his eyes catching theirs as a nervous smile barely showed at his lips before waddling off.

Eldris grinned, crossing his arms, "And my son, still causing trouble. You two keep an eye on Vylira, will you?"

His eldest daughter rolled her eyes dramatically as Eldris walked off after Kelaeth, Vylira's lips chomping silently as she mocked her father, ""Keep an eye on Vylira"; how old does he think I am?"

"Younger than the one watching over you, I suppose," Kyra noted with a teasing wink, causing a groan from Vylira as she went on, "Come on, we used to play 'Silverwing' when I was a kid and your let me defeat you to save the forest; you're no stranger to me being dominant, despite my age."

Vylira groaned, "I only did that because I figured it would lift your spirit. Now you have Colin, here, to lift such things."

Colin hurriedly turned away to hide a blush, leaving Kyra to stare at her sister through curious eyes, "What does that…"

She brought her head back, slightly taken aback, "Oh, I see."

Vylira snickered as she hopped onto the cart, "Alright, so we're taking this stuff to the Temple and then we're off to Northrend, right?"

Kyra eyed her sister, ""We're"?"

The elder sister shrugged innocently, "You didn't honestly expect me to let you two run off into oblivion alone, did you?"

Kyra turned quickly toward Colin, who'd taken to staring at Vylira himself, equally shocked by the news. Her eyes turned back toward her sister, who groaned as she shifted around enough of the equipment to make a space for her to sit.

"Uh, no no no," Kyra repeated, waving her arms, "I'm not about to-"

"Seriously, Kyra," Vylira interrupted, seriously, her eyes piercing through her sister, "This is not the time for you to prove yourself. This isn't the time for you two to run off on some romantic escapade; this could easily be life or death."

Vylira sighed as she sadly watched her sister's head lower, "I know you think you can do it alone. You've done it once before, leaving here and going off into the unknown of Kalimdor, but this is an entirely different monster. You won't have Silverwings or Ancients around; all you have is yourself and who you take with you."

She turned toward Colin, "No offense, son, but as far as combat, you'd be about as useful as a toothless murloc."

"Okay, ouch," Colin muttered back, sarcastically.

Vylira grinned, "I know you think you're high tier, Kyra, but come on."

She smirked widely, "There're some skills you just can't learn without age."

Kyra turned to Colin, who shrugged back at her, "I mean, we might as well, right? 'Many hands' and all that mess."

She turned back toward Vylira, thinking, which Colin picked up on. He slowly took her hand into his own, pressing it between both of his hands as he leaned in, close to the side of her face, whispering quietly into her ear.

"I know you remember your own promise. Your pride is something about you I truly adore, but… This isn't the sort of thing we need to underestimate. I know you want to protect me, by yourself if you can, but…"

He sighed as he tilted his head downward and away, thinking of his next few words, continuing quietly, "You are the sun and the moon to me. That won't change, no matter who has our backs."

"Besides," Colin spoke aloud, now, "Despite her flaws, I know we can trust her."

Vylira outstretched both of her arms before bowing, dramatically, "At your service."

She winked at the two as she returned to her normal posture, "And those flaws, some men would kill for their women to have."

Colin leaned back into Kyra's ear, "And if we encounter a beast who eats boastful beings, you and I will be set to go."

Kyra grinned humorously, leaving Vylira slightly perturbed at the secrecy, resigning herself to simply returning to adjusting a spot for herself in the cart, as if knowing Kyra's answer. The official answer was cut short, however, as a book suddenly flew through the air toward Colin, who quickly jumbled it in his arms, trying to grasp it amidst the surprising appearance. He whipped around to notice Kelaeth approaching the three of them, grinning mischievously.

"Good catch," he muttered, sportily, eyeing Vylira from the corner of his eyes, "Going too?"

She didn't reply, simply holding her head down and moving around boxes. Kelaeth hummed a chuckle through his closed mouth, patting Colin on the shoulder as if to signal to him to pay attention to his demonstration.

"Kyra, can you tell Vy to-"

" _Kelaeth_ ," Vylira replied, suddenly, in an annoyed tone.

He grinned, "Well, I got one word out of you. Can't remember the last time you used my full name, though."

"It's more than you deserve," Vylira muttered, nearly under her breath, as if passive aggressively.

Kelaeth chuckled again, shaking his head, "Do we need to spar real quick and resolve some of your anger? I'll let you win if you'd like; it's my brotherly duty, after all."

Vylira scoffed as her head rose up into the air before tilting sideways toward him with an incredulous sort of smile, "Oh please; you keep telling yourself that. I'll kick your ass all over again, when the time comes. Fair and square."

Her brother managed an elbow at Colin's arm, "The real question that'll keep you up tonight is how many matches we've had where I've already allowed you to win."

He smirked as Vylira stared him down, angrily, as he turned to Colin, "Don't let her teasing get to you- she has soft spots just like the rest."

Colin nodded slowly, quite surprised by what all had just occurred, but Kelaeth didn't allow much room for him to remain as such. The eldest of the Shadowmoon children grabbed the book, still in Colin's hands, and shoved it into Colin's chest, watching him carefully.

"Read it. Study it. Come back for more," Kelaeth spoke, plainly, grinning as he finished, "Make it quick. If mother finds where I buried the rest, I'll get the branch again."

Colin curiously went to open the tome to examine it, but with his hand still on it, Kelaeth quickly held it closed, whispering slowly, almost cryptically, "Remember. even the moon has a dark side."

He patted Colin on the shoulder before stepping away, turning to leave with his hand raised in parting, "Farewell, my dear sisters. Keep your feet on the ground and your hearts in the stars."

Vylira quickly returned to her task, now angrily shoving boxes against others. Kyra grinned at her, turning to Colin, who nodded to her in confirmation, the two enjoying Vylira's mood.

"You still love your brother," Kyra spoke up with a grin.

"Oh, shut up," Vylira snarled, leaving the others with even further grins across their faces, "I've gotten too far in my life for this kind of stuff."

"I've been a Silverwing myself, you know."

Vylira sighed as she rose up, holding her fists down against her hips, staring critiquingly at her sister, "Yep. Before you up and abandoned your post. After, mind you, you had left your previous post here, on the Crown of the Earth. To that, you're developing a rather maddening pattern, dearest sister."

Kyra watched her with a shrug, "You are saying I'm running off again?"

Colin turned to Kyra, curiously, as Vylira started to laugh, "What? No, I was just hitting back; you two were happy to tease me. Why? You don't have any reason to run from Colin; it's not as if you're the one who can saddle _him_ with bearing a child."

Vylira laughed as she grabbed at a blanket to lay across the floor of the cart, now focused on her own comfort, before looking up, confused by the silence that, now, accompanied Colin and Kyra's knowing faces. Her eyes slowly grew, her face rapidly running from one to the other.

"Wait, wait; you don't –"

Kyra's voice emerged, steadily, "To become a mother would be a fate I wouldn't dare to even consider fleeing from."

"Okay," Vylira nearly stammered in a panic, "How long was I gone?!"

Colin grinned, "You said you'd love the little tyke."

"B-Yeah! Like, a few centuries from now!" Vylira shouted, almost panicking, earning a laugh from Kyra, "I'm not ready for kids; I said I wanted to settle down! One person! No little people!"

Kyra turned to Colin, happy to explain, "I'm the sibling she's closest to, so she's probably just-"

"I'm not jealous!" Vylira shouted, inaccurately finishing her sister's sentence, "And what's with everybody ragging on me all of a sudden?"

She groaned, finishing up on the cart, mumbling to herself, "I'm just an innocent girl making her way through the world. Sheesh."

"Sorry," Colin grinned, "I have a lot of time to make up when it comes to siblings, I suppose. Family, t-"

He paused as he turned to see Cayssarin entering his vision, the older woman showing a light exhaustion on her face as she watched her daughter, arms crossed, her voice rather stern, "Speaking of siblings, do keep an eye out for Syheath. I won't rest easy until I see her again, be it in the afterlife or not."

Kyra nodded sarcastically, "Yes, mother, we know."

Colin hadn't pulled his eyes from the matriarch, though he hurried looked away once she turned to him, "You didn't complete your thought."

Colin chuckled, nervously, scratching his neck, "W- I mean… You know…"

"No, I don't," Cayssarin twisted her lips, "Are you afraid of me? You wouldn't be the first."

"No!" Colin shot back, "Sorry, I mean… I don't know; you just don't ever seem, uh, agreeable whenever somebody talks about me as if I'm a part of the family."

Colin looked away, embarrassed, "I guess."

Cayssarin stared down at him, blankly, her voice sincere and free of sarcasm, "Do I need to pat you on the shoulder?"

"Huh?" Colin replied, staring up at her.

She shrugged, "I don't know. You are the partner of my daughter. I have no qualms of your intentions, and you've proven yourself worthy. Of course I see you as family, especially considering your background, and that little fact that you brought my husband back to me."

She eyed him, suspiciously, "Why? Were you wanting me to act more like a mother to you?"

"N-No," Colin stammered, unsurely, "Especially when it gets made to sound slightly weird…"

Cayssarin grinned, mildly, "I've never been one to nurture. Eldris was always the one who partook in such things. I love my children, don't get me wrong, but the Shadowleaves weren't exactly brought up to be touchy-feely."

She smiled a bit wider, "Well, in a certain sense, I suppose we were."

She reached down and went ahead with patting Colin's shoulder, but by now, it had become something slightly uncomfortable, though he managed to bear it, smiling slightly crookedly after she pulled back away, "Uh, thank you."

"I don't do hugs, but I suppose I can offer one once you stand up," Cayssarin muttered aloud.

"N-No, that's alright," Colin admitted, "I think that might only cause more teasing to arise."

Cayssarin nodded, her eyes watching as Kyra tossed up some supplies up to Vylira, the two finishing up packing, "It is nice to have somebody who doesn't make it their mission to grind on my nerves, though."

She managed a laugh between closed lips, Colin doing much the same before replying to her, "You're saying that after we've decided to run off to Northrend?"

The matriarch shrugged, sarcastically, with a droll expression, "Everybody grows up."

She turned and smiled at him in acceptance, "Besides, you're doing it for a good reason. One of my daughters went simply to be wild."

Cayssarin sighed, shaking her head, "No telling what she's up to. Hopefully you all can run into her; I'd like to think she's being a respectable night elf. Not getting into horrible situations."

Colin spoke up, "Wishful thinking?"

She groaned, "She _is_ a Shadowmoon."


	13. The Fitting

Colin grasped his arms around one of the heaviest boxes in the cart, pulling it over toward the edge of the wooden contraption before hopping out and examining it. It had taken him, Kelaeth, and Eldris to get it in, but surely, here in Darnassus, there would be just as strong of men to help. Unfortunately, as he turned to see Kyra conversing with one of the priestesses of Elune's temple, he could easily gather that there were few men, here, ready for the task.

Though not a man quite so in touch with his machismo, Colin still couldn't help but stubbornly stare at the heavy box, and coupled with a suddenly insatiable desire to show off for Kyra, he grasped the edges of the box and pulled against it mightily, though it only just moved against the wooden cart.

"Oh!" shouted the priestess at Kyra's behest, "Hold on, human; you shant hurt yourself here."

She pattered off, leaving Kyra to watch Colin, curiously, "Are you seriously trying to get that down?"

"Pfft," Colin scoffed as he looked off into the distance, leaning himself against the cargo, coolly, "It's not like I'm showing off or anything."

Kyra grinned, "But you're always doing it; why would today be any different?"

Colin shrugged, sniffing, as he nonchalantly remained there, "It's all good, babe; I'm simply j-j-just…"

He stammered off as his eyes widened, catching Kyra's attention, who spun around to come face to face with Malfurion Stormrage, standing there, albeit a bit cluelessly, as he examined the two visitors.

"Am I interrupting?" he began with a low, mesmerizing voice, as he kept his eyes on the two.

Kyra rushed into a deep bow, returning to her standing position as her arms flattened against her body, "N-No Archdruid, we were just, you know… Uh, we were bringing the offerings of my mother and father, that is."

"Ah," Malfurion nodded, in understanding, such would explain why I was told to help with lowering it. I hope your parents weren't compelled to make such an offering due to their long absense. Elune _is_ understanding."

Kyra grinned, slightly ashamedly, "Well, _that_ …among other things."

Malfurion paused for only a second before nodding once more, "I see. I would surmise that reclaiming a life to the side if Elune would be tribute enough, but it _is_ their decision."

He turned to see Colin standing idly by the massive crate, slightly nervous by the Archdruid's entrance, though Malfurion simply chuckled warmheartedly, seeming to warm the very air around him, "Their choice, and your partner's burden, it seems!"

He walked over, grasping the opposite side of the crate, following along with Colin's lead before the two managed to drop the large box onto the ground, leaving Colin slightly wonder as he continued recovering from partaking in such a minute task alongside one of the powerful men of Azeroth. Malfurion patted the crate gently, admiring the size of the offering.

"You can leave it here; I'll have some from the order recover it. As for you two, thank you for your generocity, and give Eldris and Cayssarin word that Elune shall be mightily grateful," Malfurion nodded, his words holding a certain meaning for Kyra, as many night elves referred to her parents with her father's name last, simply in degradation of his status.

"Shaha lor'ma, Archdruid," Kyra recited, gratefully, as she bowed low once again.

Malfurion nodded in acknowledgement, while shaking Colin's hand, his face remaining still, though carrying an aura of happiness, "If I hear correctly, you two are headed up north, correct? Across the seas? If so, you should partake in the festival tonight before leaving. Should your trip turn dark, you'll need night like these in your heart to aid you."

He nodded, knowingly, "One of the greatest lessons I've learned from my years among dwarves and humans- you should lighten the heart to cast out shadows from your mind."

Kyra nodded with a stoic smile, "We will definitely consider it. I had forgotten all about it to be perfectly honest."

Bowing his head toward the two, Malfurion began back inside, "We'd be happy to have you. The rest of your kin as well."

As he walked off, a thought suddenly popped through Colin's mind, his eyes watching the druid slipping away caused a sudden and instinctive shout, despite the improper manner, "Wait!"

Malfurion stopped, rather immediately, slowly turning with another plain face, "You are indeed a spirited one, human."

Colin scratched at his chin nervously, an embarrassed smile creeping across his face as Kyra stared at him, confused, "Eh, umm, I don't know if you can say, but… Ysera's okay, right?"

Malfurion eyed him without a change of expression, nor a change in his speech, in that he spoke nothing. Colin nervously stuttered for a brief moment, grasping for some line of communication to avoid an awkward air.

"It's just, Kelaeth, er, Kyra's brother, said she was fine in the Dream, but that she wasn't talking much of anything, and I know that she no longer exists, physically, but-"

Just as his words began to loop around in circles, Malfurion's eyes shrunk just a twinge, enough for Colin to pause everything he had set up to say. The Archdruid approached Colin, waving to Kyra for her to make her way over as well. He stood beside Colin who, even at six and a half feet tall saw nothing less than a giant of a night elf.

"You two," Malfurion began, pausing, "I wasn't going to mention anything, but if you two insist."

He eyed Colin, silently sizing him up almost, "I know what it is you seek. I don't believe I need to tell you how farfetched ideas of that sort are, as you're sure to be aware. I also have known Ysera for most of my life; under a rather trying tutelage under Cenarius, she was more akin to a sister to me within the Dream, and even more so when I returned."

Malfurion's gaze wavered almost, "The Aspects may be chosen by the gods, human, but they are not gods themselves."

Colin watched him carefully, though now with a slight incredulous look on his face as Malfurion continued, "I do not think Ysera intended to not deliver on her promise, though she might have underestimated the situation that she construed. Not being gods, the Aspects have flaws as well, and though they may not show it, they do hold emotions, Ysera _is_ "The Dreamer" after all."

"My point is," Malfurion began to finish, "I'm not telling you not to try. I understand how strong promises are, especially between two souls. and in this life of mine, I've seen crazier things with these eyes. I wish you two nothing but well wishes."

He patted Colin on the shoulder, "I'm rooting for you two."

Colin lowered his head just as Malfurion began to turn away, nodding toward Kyra, who returned the gesture, albeit a bit sadly, though Colin shouted out again, "What about Ascal?"

Once again, Malfurion paused, though this time sighing as he spun around, "My my, you _are_ dedicated to getting me in trouble, aren't you?"

The Archdruid didn't return to them, but he did continue speaking, a bit less emotionally this time around, "He's alive. In fact, he's no longer at your home. Ysera has called to him finally, once again, though no longer as a messenger, but as a…"

He paused, pondering, "Actually, that might be… As I said, she's like a sister to me, and sisters often have their secrets. In any case, he is alive and well, and you needn't worry. Though, the next time you see him, it may be slightly different."

Malfurion took a step back, preparing to leave, before speaking, finally, "Remember. The Aspects' vision isn't nearly as wide as they'd lead you to believe. They're flesh and blood, just like the rest. They make mistakes."

The Archdruid managed a slight, emotionless smile across his lips as he turned back around, leaving the two with nothing more before leaving. As soon as he left their sight, Kyra's head shot back toward Colin in shock.

"You were making demands of the greatest druid to walk this world?!"

Colin looked back at her, surprised, "I-I don't know- most of it just, I don't know, just came out of me I guess. I was surprised as well when I shouted out…"

Kyra sighed, "Well, at least we learned a lot. I'm sure it hasn't deterred you, though."

"No," Colin replied, quickly, "I've spoken to Ysera. I know she's sincere about everything. If I have to confront her and the other Aspects, then I'll do what I must."

He looked down the massive bridge that ran from the temple down toward the ursine tree that overlooked the whole of the city, seeing Vylira approaching them with a satchel in hand, Colin's voice continuing, "But for the moment, I do believe Malfurion Stormrage himself requested our presence at a party, was it?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose," Kyra smirked, "Why? Were you- Hold on, that's right; you haven't ever seen Darnassus extensively, have you?"

Vylira had come into earshot as Kyra finished, her eyes fixed on Colin as he replied, "Well, I did, if you count seeing it from the breath-holes of a box being carried around by Tyriel, anyway."

"Always so practical," Kyra noted, amusedly, "I suppose tonight would be a good time to see it. We can explore in the meantime; I believe Vylira, here, can get us rather lenient clearance still."

"What, for the starlight festival? I guess," Vylira shrugged, "All I can really get is- Oh, you know what I just thought of?!"

Kyra and Colin both watched as Vylira dramatically rose her hand into the air, holding her finger out, "It's not as if I'll be returning any time soon. And after this journey, you two will go back to Stonetalon, regardless, correct?"

Colin nodded slowly, though it was Kyra who answered verbally, "Yeah, so?"

"Well," Vylira went on, a mischievous smirk reaching over her, "Why don't we leave the folks with quite the joke to handle on our way out?"

Kyra shrugged, "I don't know; I mean, all things considered, the Shadowmoons have already set the bar pretty high as far as this stuff goes."

"No, no, no," Vylira shook her head, "Imagine the societal possibilities we have, now, that we have a human, here, in Darnassus with us!"

Colin's heart sank slightly, rather unsure of whatever it was Vylira was cooking up in her head, his voice weakly emerging as he covered his face, "Please, I just want a nice night to relax and see the city with Kyra."

"Oh, you'll see the city with Kyra, alright," Vylira cocked a grin, "But you'll have another fair maiden around your arms."

Her two companions both eyed her, suspiciously, though Colin's stomach rolled with nerves as he stammered, "J-J-J-"

"Just what are you getting at?" Kyra questioned, more curiously than maliciously, which frightened Colin due to her appearing to be fine with the whole thing.

Vylira grasped her sister's shoulder, pulling her in closer, "A human here is taboo enough, huh? So few people know about you two being mates; imagine if a human just showed up, not only courting one, but two, of the brightest sisters to bless this tree?"

She closed her eyes in thought, "Not to mention the most beautifully spry elf to ever run across the forests of Ashenvale! "She sure is a catch", they'll say!"

Kyra smirked playfully, her eyes running toward Colin, who returned a rather unamused stare, his voice just as even as his glare, "You already know how I feel about this."

"Come on, it'll be fun, don't you think?" Kyra grinned, "I haven't done something fun with my sister in decades! I know you're introverted, but so are most Teldrassillians; most of what you'll get are uneven stares."

Colin groaned, "I just would like to see the city. However that happens, I guess I'm fine with whatever that turns out to be."

Vylira shot her sister a wink, "Awesome! We'll run on down to the Tradesman's Terrace, hit up Vinasia for some dresses, and have a fun night on the town!"

Her eyes darkened, mischievously, "And then mother and father will have a fun time, as well, next time they're in town."

* * *

Colin sat atop one of the wooden chairs that ran alongside the two-storied building meant specifically for clothiers, his attention left upon the three night elves who were hard at work spilling yarn and stitching up different outfits. They had eyed him curiously upon his arrival, but seemed to be familiar enough with him now, and appreciated the intrigue with which he seemed to show in their work.

The sisters had gone up to the top level to try stuff on, leaving Colin down here among the workers. He could tell that two of them were more new than the third one, who seemed to be the master tailor, and while he was left with the more difficult task of spinning, the other two took their time stiching, with Colin raising his head to get a better look.

One of the novices hid a sort of laugh, speaking quietly to her companion, who also revealed a light-hearted laugh before moving his fabric over for Colin to see better before he spoke up in Darnassian, "[You a tailor, as well?]"

Colin's Darnassian had improved in his years with Kyra, though he still wasn't confident in it conversationally. Still, he had little excuse, now, given that he'd been watching the two work, so he gave it his best shot.

"[No, but I've tried my hand at it.]"

At his speech, the two stared at one another in shock, and the master tailor even paused for a second in surprise, one of the novices speaking out in surprise, "I don't think I've ever heard a human speak Kaldorei tongue before."

Colin smiled, bashfully, "Eh, it's here and there. To elaborate further, I worked for a while with some tailors in Stormwind, but their technique is much different from yours, it seems."

"Different fabrics, different techniques," the man replied, "I would like to hone my skills further by working with other cultures' techniques, but more often than not, that requires us visiting them, not the other way around."

Colin nodded as the novice's female companion spoke up herself, though in Darnassian, "[It's too pretty here not to stay.]"

The man smiled, "My apologies, Halae never bothered to learn the common language, despite her parent's wishes."

He playfully kicked the table, as if to signify him hitting her, though she only grinned back, devilishly, sticking her tongue out as the man went on, "She understands enough, though. I'm Nyteth, by the way, and that's our master, Waelir, who trained even Vinasia's steady hand. She's the one who took your friends upstairs."

Colin nodded toward him in greeting, "I don't mind Darnassian, actually. [One of those two is my mate, so I'd enjoy mastering the language]."

Halae stared at him in surprise, as if the idea had been otherworldly, and even Nyteth watching him with a slight shock, "That's very- ahem. [That's quite unique for these parts.]"

Colin could tell the two had little to say on the matter, given how little Nyteth had spoken, so he simply laughed, waving off the comment, "[That's what she tells me.]"

Nyteth chuckled, "[It is nice to hear. Don't mind Halae; she's what you'd call a purist. Never leave Teldrassil, never consort with other peoples, never-"

A swift kick under the table came from Halae this time, which wasn't playful at all, shaking the table around as she nearly managed to hit her colleague. The voice of Waelir boomed out from the other end of the room, like a crack of thunder.

"Children!" he shouted, catching everybody's attention and leaving them all in silence as Halae and Nyteth hurriedly returned to their work without a word, leaving Colin sitting there by himself, quietly, the master's words even jolting him back into his seat to rest properly.

Not long afterwards, voices emerged from one of the ramps around the corner, happily belonging to Vylira and Vinasia, the two of them going on about some topic. He couldn't hear Kyra, but as she rounded the corner, he could understand why.

Her crimson face was the first thing he noticed as her body came into view, draped within a blue dress that elegantly hugged her body, a dark silhouette of a vine running down and across her, almost enveloping her in a nature setting. Besides the frills that ran across the ends of the dress near her feet and around her chest and shoulders, Colin couldn't help but stand and admire her body, so captivatingly captured by the dress she had on.

"Wow," was all he could manage, bringing a shy smile across Kyra's face, who didn't particularly enjoy dresses, though she did enjoy Colin's stare.

His gaze was only won over by Vylira once she shouted out at him, "Hey! What about mine?!"

Colin turned from Kyra, who could barely move, due to embarrassment, toward Vylira, who happily spun herself around, stopping only to watch her skirt continue to fly around, only to stop sharply and revert back to its place, almost in a dance itself.

Her dress was much more bold where Kyra's was demure, wearing a red dress that wrapped delicately around her midsection, but burst into the magnificent skirt that she'd just demonstrated, silverine trails of swirled around its free-flowing fabric, which matched her hair whenever she spun around, the silver becoming a blur of color.

"Be honest," Vylira declared, "If I think you're lying, the two of us will simply switch dresses."

Colin groaned, but couldn't help but feel a slight loss as he shut his eyes, "They're both great."

Vylira took the opportunity to jump up in joy, reaching over and wrapping an arm around Kyra's shoulders, pulling in into a sidelong hug, "Excellent! Kyra, my dear, prepare to turn faces!"

Vinasia wrung out a pile of cloth nearby, absentmindedly speaking her thoughts aloud, "You've never once worn a dress, Shadowmoon; the stares would be more in amazement than anything else."

"Ah ah!" Vylira shouted, attempting to interrupt her, unsuccessfully, "Hey, you're making me look bad in front of my baby sister."

Kyra ducked under her sister's arm, taking Colin's hand in her own, "I don't know; now that Colin's going to be put into a suit… Maybe it should be just the two of us turning fa-"

Uh, I don't think so!" Vylira interrupted, "Let's not forget the point of this whole affair! Besides, you already promised."

Despite her looking at, and addressing, Kyra, Colin complained, "I did no such thing."

Vylira pouted, and before she could speak, Vinasia graciously waved Colin along, carrying the stock of cloth she'd collected, the human following her back and around to the ramp. He turned back to watch Kyra's grace once more before disappearing, his face visably saddened by his eyes' parting from her beauty.

"Those two talk a storm," Vinasia spoke evenly, though she was visibly annoyed.

Colin sighed, "Sadly, the night is young."

* * *

Not wanting to wrinkle their dresses, the two sisters simply stood around, making small talk between turns at watching the novice tailors do their work, with the occasional hurried shuffle whenever one of them quickly hopped up.

"Hey!" Nyteth shouted, waving an arm at Halae as she rounded the table, nearly knocking his arm as he sewed, "[Watch it!]"

She didn't respond as she walked on, hopping off the the edge of the building and making her way toward the waters of Darnassus in order to dye. Nyteth watched her angrily for a bit before snorting hot air from his nose, shaking his head as he leaned in to examine his needle and thread. Kyra watched him for a moment, curiously before finally speaking.

"[She likes you, you know]," she spoke up, though she noticed the master's body fidget as the old man heard this.

Nyteth turned to her, mid-thread, and grumbled aloud, "[What, are you teasing me?]"

[She's hunting for any opportunity to touch you]," Kyra shrugged, "[She's looking for any chance to annoy you; she thinks you're cute.]"

Nyteth stared at Kyra, reddening more and more, before quickly turning back to his work, mumbling to himself as he tried to find his concentration once again. Kyra crossed her arms, turning to Vylira, who'd been watching the whole conversation with a haughty air.

"What?" Kyra questioned, "I figured he needed help."

"I've never gone out of my way to touch guys I was into," the elder of the two complained.

Kyra scoffed, grinning widely as she did, "Yeah, because the only guys you were ever into were in armor. They'd think you were challenging them to a duel or something."

Vylira moaned quietly, thinking to herself, "Say what you will, I'd hardly ever seen a man in uniform until they started breaking the gender barriers. I think Jarod Shadowsong came through Astranaar one time- mmm, I'd have worn _him_ like a suit."

Kyra giggled like a schoolgirl, shaking her head in dismissal as Vylira went on, "What, were you touching Colin every second you got?"

Her mind running through their first meeting, Kyra's face suddenly froze, a red streak appearing across her face as she lowered her face, raising up an arm to hide further, "Uhh… I sort of kissed him."

"Straight up?" Vylira noted, "Damn, girl. and it took a year to get together?"

"Uhh," Kyra paused, "I, uh… I was still so used to Teldrassil; I didn't realize that wishing him well with a kiss was… Well, for humans, they take that sort of thing more seriously than we might."

Vylira burst into a laugh, nearly snorting as it began, "Oh my god!"

Kyra blushed, embarrassed, turning away from her sister, though as she did, she froze immediately, her eyes catching Colin coming back around the corner. His hand was raised, holding onto the wall to balance himself around the uneven ground, his eyes locking with Kyra's as he froze as well.

With nothing but a blush to hide his face, Colin stuffed his hands into his pockets, staring at Kyra as she critiqued him, her eyes running up and down his body. His suit ran down his broad shoulders, trailing down his body so mightily that Kyra was sure her mouth had opened slightly as her own breath had been taken away.

Colin adjusted the tight fabric around his wrists, "I think I kind of like it. It's really, I don't know, 'professional', even if I only know a little about a lot of things. What do you think?"

Kyra remained speechless, though Vylira was more than happy to approach him, her head visibly rising and falling with a shocked expression, "Woah; you look so put together. Like, _this_ was the guy who we dragged, unconscious, back to the house?"

Nervously, Colin turned to Vinasia with a dismissive smile, though returned his attention forward once again as Vylira began running a hand over his chest, earning her the first words out of Kyra, "H-Hey!"

She quickly spun around, raising her hands into the air, innocently, "S-Sorry! I know; hands off the merchandise. Why don't you take if for a twirl, then, so we can all see?"

Kyra's eyes met Colin's once again, though as if his suit was overpowering his mind, he confidently held out a hand toward her, which Kyra slowly took. As he pulled her in toward him, she felt as if she was being pulled into a sturdy home, with walls of shoulder and arms, ready to cover her whenever necessary.

"Come on," Colin chuckled, nervously, "This isn't the first time you've seen me in a suit."

"I know, but…" she paused, her eyes nervously shifting to the rest of the people within earshot, "…but I wasn't expecting a future then, at least not like I do now."

Colin grinned, albeit a bit cocked due to her words, but he simply pulled her into a hug, kissing her simply, before releasing her again, not wanting to spread any uncomfort from the others. Kyra bowed her head toward his chest to avoid any stares that might have been directed toward her, leaving Colin to wrap an arm around her as he began toward the door, shielding her from any stares.

"Thank you, Vinasia," he spoke up, leaving Vylira open to say much the same.

The tailor bowed low before waving them off. Given that Kyra was surrounded by one arm of Colin's, Vylira stepped at Colin's other side, wrapping herself around his arm in sharp contrast.

"I thought it'd be less annoying than this," Colin complained with a sigh.

Vylira giggled, "Isn't this every guy's dream, though?"

"Not always," Colin groaned, "I'm looking forward to all the guilt whenever Kyra and I discuss things like 'loyalty', 'dedication'…"

Snickering childishly, Vylira stuck a tongue out in reply as the three began up toward the major concourse of the city. The events of the starlight festival were now close to beginning, the three's fittings timed perfectly to ensure an ideal entrance. Though Colin was nervous, he looked down to witness Kyra's own nerves.

He knew he needed to be strong, now while she was weak in the meantime.


	14. Shadowmoon Women

_A/N: I began writing this story, and fan-fiction in general, a year ago, today. I've been pretty much writing non-stop ever since, and have accrued 300,577 words, two wonderful stories, and quite a bit of the most amazing people stopping by to read, leave reviews or PMs, and come back for more. It's pretty surreal, really :)_

 _I'm not particularly good at anything at all, but I cannot explain well enough how much I enjoy conjuring up stories, writing them, and especially sharing them with all of you. So thank you if you frequent my stories; I'd love to hear from all of you :D I've started going through some writer's block the last two days (nearly missing this anniversary in the process) but I have no intentions of quitting any of these stories. Believe me, if there's anybody attached to anything I've written, I'm right there with you ;D_

 _Thank you again, and I hope I can continue to be entertaining or dramatic for another year :)_

* * *

Vylira had sent Colin off to fetch the three some drinks as she sat beside her sister atop one of the stone benches that lined the city, the two caring less of the state of their dresses now that their little show had ended. They had received plenty of stares, which was hardly normal, as everybody could only watch in awe of the single human in town with two night elf women around his arms. Even now, the two sisters couldn't help but giggle when thinking about the stunt.

Vylira leaned back, sighing contentedly as she stared up into the tree, nodding her head to herself, approvingly, "Man, even Mydrannul- He's seen more of the world than most, and even he was stopped in his tracks!"

She continued snickering mischievously, sighing as it came to a close, shaking her head in disbelief at how much of an uproar should arise in their stead, "That was fun, sister. Thanks."

"Huh?" Kyra wondered aloud, her attitude having been quite more reserved than her sister.

"Well, you know, not getting all bent out of shape or anything," Vylira shrugged, "I'd think most sisters would smack me if I suggested anything like I did today."

"Oh," Kyra muttered in reply, "I mean, I know you wouldn't do anything beyond screwing around. Both of you have in each other something you've both probably wanted your entire lives."

Vylira eyed her sister suspicious, "What are you getting at?"

Kyra laughed quietly, "I'm not accusing you of anything, so calm down. I just know that, for Colin, you're sort of like the sister he never had, and despite your triplet of brothers, you never were exactly close with any of them."

She peered off, "I mean, you were close with Kel, but I mean… Maybe you just see Colin as a substitute brother or something; I mean, you two get along like a brother and sister would, right?"

Vylira watched her, wide-eyed, "I thought it was just fun hanging out with him!"

Kyra grinned, "That might be it. I may just be crazy."

"No, no; I can see where you're right," Vylira shrugged, admittingly, "But I had no idea he wanted a sister; we're the worst!"

Kyra's eyes ran to the side of her face, staring at Vylira with a critical look, "And you can't mention that to him. I've said enough as it is. I would say that you'd never hurt him, but in your realm of teasing, I'm sure hurtful things don't exist."

Vylira scoffed, "C'mon, it's too fun a night to get into squabbles. Of course I won't say anything."

Kyra nodded approvingly, looking down at her dress and running a finger down one of the vines that wrapped around the fabric. The air became quiet for a moment, leaving Vylira with a shrug as she grew bored of the silence.

"I mean, after tonight, anything goes."

Kyra's hand now ran up her face in exasperation, her eyes rising to see Colin returning with three flutes of wine being carefully held within his two sets of fingers, his eyes narrowed in focus as he carefully stepped down the pathway toward the two sisters. Kyra hurried to her feet, reaching over to grasp two of the glasses, allowing Colin some relief.

"The wine tender assured me I must have needed more wine than normal, so he assured me hed fill them to the brim," Colin groaned, making sure no wine had spilled onto his suit.

"What," Vylira spoke up, lips cocked into a wry smirk, "Didn't think you could handle two ladies?"

"No," Colin replied, drolly, "He didn't think I could handle two _Shadowmoon_ ladies."

Vylira managed a quiet chuckle as she took her glass, "Our reputation continues to precede us, it seems."

She happily stood up to dramatically take a rather large swig of her drink as Colin leaned against the back of the stone bench, shoving a hand into his pocket as he took his own sip, "It's a shame it took so long for me to see this city. It truly is gorgeous in its architecture and its atmosphere."

Kyra sat back down, on the same bench behind Colin, resting her head against his lower back, "Even for night elves, it can sometimes bring us to awe."

Vylira, already bored with their words, sat her empty glass down before twirling about, watching the skirt of her dress float in the breeze, earning the attention of her two companions. Kyra smiled softly at the sight of her elder sister enjoying herself so freely, though Colin took a rather different view of her.

He spoke swiftly, "It must truly be a grand scheme to employ warriors who are so fair, yet could twist your head off of your neck if need be."

Vylira paused, grinning, "Part of why I dressed without hindering my legs was so I could protect myself if necessary. I have no man for whom I dress, unlike some of us."

Kyra blushed, knowing well that she'd had Colin's eyes in mind when consulting, earlier, with Vinasia, but Colin went on with a laugh, "What evil do you need to defend against here?"

With a shrug, Vylira widened her stance aggressively, "Would you like to volunteer?"

Colin shook his head mildly, "I'm sure that dress would cost a fortune should it come to harm, and I wouldn't wish to put you out."

"Uh huh," Vylira muttered, nearly wavering, "If I offered more than a duel, I bet you'd tear this dress to shreds."

Colin chuckled, reaching back behind him to pat Kyra's shoulder, "I believe your dear sister has passed into inebriation."

"Yeah, I just made a pass at you," Vylira spoke, unevenly, to which Kyra sighed, shaking her head as she stood and approached her sister.

"Nooooooo," Vylira drawled out weakly as Kyra reached out to grab her arms.

Colin made his way over as Kyra eyed him, the younger of the sisters speaking softly, "We'll just stay at an inn and head out in the morning."

He nodded, leaning down to swoop Vylira up into the air, her eyes growing wide in amazement, "Watch it. The last man who touched me uninvited nearly wore my claw marks on his face for the rest of his days."

Colin considered dropping her there, but figured the humor would be lost on her, currently. Besides, Kyra would have been far from amused, and at this moment, the younger of the two smiled softly, watching the two others as they walked along.

"You know," Kyra began, "I spent so many centuries thinking about how crazy and insane my family was. I can't say I spent much time thinking about my future mate, but on the off chances when it occurred, I thought it so silly, simply because no man would ever want to deal with us."

Her eyes flashed, "Yet here you are, carrying my insane and drunk sister down one of the very streets I've known my entire life. Not only that, Nylfalas is boring, yet you need his words. Kelaeth was evil, yet you…"

She trailed off in recollection her words trailing into the air coldly. Colin watched her quietly, not entirely sure of what to say. Luckily, at this point, Vylira was rather beyond inhibition.

"Yeah, and he lets his big sister tease him like any good brother," her words emerged, causing a sort of quiet shock from Kyra.

Colin turned to her, but only smiled warmly, shrugging as best he could given what he was carrying, "Furbolg's out of the bag?"

"You bet your ass it is," Vylira mumbled, "And you'd better treat my Kyra well. If she leaves you, you'd better believe I'd be something different when it comes to what a woman is to a man."

Colin's forehead wrinkled as he attempted to decipher her meaning, but he simply returned to Kyra with a droll look on his face, "Maybe I _can't_ handle two Shadowmoon women."

Kyra grinned, "We're a rare breed. Don't worry; we normally don't end up in _too_ odd of situations."

* * *

Shadowmoon shoved Ulric into the room of the inn, hurriedly spinning around and shoving it closed, locking it, and barring it with her body. She lowered her head in preparation, when suddenly, a loud knocking rang into her ear, nearly knocking her back in surprise.

"You can't stay here!" the gruff voice shouted out, "I'm not having-"

"He's not sick!" Shadowmoon shouted, "He's just a bit exhausted! Just- Just give him a second and we'll be right down!"

The pounding at the door continued as Shadowmoon peered behind her. Ulric was hunched over the desk, clutching either side of it as his face strained itself between wide, anguished eyes and bared teeth. He was sweating immensely, and his voice broke into grunts with every over quick breath as he restlessly attempted to focus on slowing his lungs.

Watching him, the next series of slamming broke through Shadowmoon's concentration, the innkeeper finally shouting, "I'll have the guards on ya!"

The man's thick steps rang through the wooden floor as he stomped away, leaving Shadowmoon to release herself from the door, turning to Ulric, whose breath was still beleaguered, her voice breaking into a shout, "Okay, what the fuck was that?!"

Ulric couldn't reply between his rapidly heavy breaths, though his eyes managed to flash in her direction for a brief moment. He groaned, painfully, his hand squeezing lightly against the wooden slat of the desk, the very material beginning to creak underneath his immense grasp.

Shadowmoon walked briskly toward him, reaching for his arm, but his opposite hand flew over, grasping her wrist as he suddenly spun his head around, almost snarling at her for almost touching him. She received as he pushed her away, his hand squeezing into a fist as he placed it down against the wooden table.

"I'm fine," his voice groaned, weakly, but also with a beastly, "Don't touch me. It'll pass; it's just a thing."

"Just a thing?!" Shadowmoon shouted, "I didn't sign up for this shit; you nearly ripped that man's arm off! That's not some "thing", stupid!"

Ulric didn't reply, but Shadowmoon turned back to the door, "Well we need to get out if the guards are coming."

"Just a second," Ulric growled, his fist pushing against the wood below, causing the loud groaning of weakening wood to break out into the air.

Suddenly, the wood tore into splintering pieces as his fist broke through the desk, his voice a heated snarl as he seethed through the pain, closing his eyes, tightly. His vision impaired, Shadowmoon eyed his arm, covered by his long sleeve. Taking the initiative, she nimbly walked over and, in a single movement, grasped his sleeve and yanking it up his arm, her eyes narrowing in examination.

Ulric suddenly pushed her away as he growled, his fist tearing through more wood as he pulled it through the desk back toward him, slipping his sleeve back down his arm, the fabric running along his nearly-bare skin, "What…are you…doing..?"

Shadowmoon stared him down, adjusting her shirt at the shoulder, where he'd shoved her, "This is some fucking worgen shit; I needed to make sure you weren't growing hair or something freaky like that!"

Ulric couldn't help a particularly feral grin, laughing through heavy heaves, "And?"

"I guess you check out," Shadowmoon shrugged, "But you can't blame _me_."

His mind having been taken off his condition, Ulric's breaths began to slowly even out, though his hands still locked around the edges of the desk as though they simply needed to exert energy that he needed to expel. His eyes closed once again, concentrating on his heart, which was beating a mile a minute.

"It's just a thing," he repeated, breathlessly, "Nothing more."

Shadowmoon examined him, skeptically, though she finally sighed, exasperatingly so, rolling her eyes as she turned away, "Whatever you say, cap."

Ulric grasped his wrist, as if checking his pulse, his breaths coming to a slow as he focused, eyes closed, his body finally relaxing as his head rolled back in relief.

"Okay," he spoke up, quietly, "What do you say we get back to the others?"

Shadowmoon shrugged, "All up to you. We'll have to go by window; an oddly routine thing, despite our craft as hunters and leatherworkers."

Ulric couldn't find the energy, nor the breath, to laugh, but he nodded with the faintest of smiles, "'tis what it is. Then, let's go."

He made his way toward the window, sliding open the pane before allowing Shadowmoon passage before following her out. With no sense of subtlety, the two simply walked along the rooftop, over toward a shorter building that would allow a safer descent.

Shadowmoon kept an eye on her leader's balance, but she also took time to turn and peer over the whole of Wintergarde Keep, taking in the frigidly blue atmosphere around them. Her hands quickly ran to either arm, rubbing up and down her skin as she groaned, annoyingly.

"You shouldn't ever lose your coat," Ulric reminded, "Or use it as a weapon. What if you'd done so against a wild animal out in a tundra? You'd freeze to death."

Shadowmoon gave him a sidelong glare, "Hey, I wasn't the one waving a sword around. If I hadn't used my coat, I'd have needed it to wrap around my waist, anyway, to stop the bleeding."

"That's even the side point," Shadowmoon muttered, unamusedly, "Stop looking after me; I'm more than capable of looking after myself, you know."

Ulrich grinned, "You know, of all the travelers I've have at my side, you, Shadowmoon, have been, far and away, just the most rebellious of the lot. Had I not known better, I'd think you were among our party against your will."

"Why? Because I find your advice to wear a coat in Northrend to be condescending?"

"I'm merely trying to find something normal to say," Ulrich shrugged, "Obviously, that scene back there was rather odd; I figured you could use some normal conversation."

Shadowmoon jumped down onto the lower rooftop, making sure to turn and offer her help as Ulrich did the same, though with a greater effort, a painful groan escaping him as he staggered at his feet, "Wouldn't it be just as condescending to assume I couldn't jump down on my own?"

"No," Shadowmoon replied, blandly, "Because you should know I understand how cold weather and coats work. As far as I know, your legs don't work properly at the moment. And speaking of, yes, I _will_ need an explanation for earlier."

Ulrich shrugged, "The guy sucker punched me in the face; wouldn't you get worked up just the same?"

"Pfft," Shadowmoon scoffed, staring at Ulrich in surprise, "Not like that! I don't have the strength to rip a man's arm off, but sure, I'd seek out anger -fueled retribution, but I'd calm down. I had to drag you to a room and watch you nearly tear a desk apart; that's just not normal."

"It's just some odd condition I've had for a while; I just get worked up. You saw my arm," Ulrich reminded, "I'm no worgen or anything. My heart just speeds up and I can't catch a breath; that's why I try to be so even."

He could see Shadowmoon's critiquing stare, knowing she wasn't sure whether or not to believe him, but she did reply, unsurely, "…really?"

"Really," Ulrich confirmed, "Look, I'll even recount that story tonight over the fire. Remnaar's heard it enough to recite it himself, but it'll be new for Parvaen and, apparently, you."

Shadowmoon watched him with a dark curiosity, Ulric taking the opportunity to grin, "What? I'd have assumed Remnaar or Kota would have told you at some point. It's true that, to talk behind my back means that I've left you there, but within the company, I wouldn't consider it as such. In any case, it'll be a nice intro course for Parvaen before we take him out tomorrow for his first kiting."

Sighing heavily, Shadowmoon shook her head, "Even when it comes to topics you're rather open about, you remain quite enigmatic."

Ulric's arms rose widely in a dramatic shrug, simply shaking his head before the two took to being quite as they joined the major population of the Keep, "Just try not to have nightmares when you hear about my childhood, alright?"


	15. The Crack of Gunshot

The band of hunters sat around a campfire in the wilderness just within the boundary of the Dragonblight, the ashes of dragons gradually peetering out into the dark ground of Ursoc's domain, the Grizzly Hills. Ulric wasn't about to traverse those lands in the darkness, so he decided to wait until the morning to make his way down to the Fjord, giving him a chance to discuss what he'd promised Shadowmoon, anyway.

Parvaen sat cross-legged, whittling a piece of wood he'd collected, bringing it up to his face periodically to examine its shape up close. Shadowmoon and the others had been too caught up in their conversations to really notice, but Remnaar suddenly spoke up, curiously, though still with a wry sort attitude.

"We couldn't find any old pieces of any importance; did you just decide to make your own?" he laughed, quickly.

"Yeah, funny draenei here," Parvaen replied, pithily, dramatically stretching his arm into the air and pointing down at Remnaar as he looked at Tandkota, "Check it out, Kota; he's got jokes! Jokes!"

The tauren grinned lightly, though didn't stop writing, leaving Parvaen to return to Remnaar with a sarcastic stare, "Nice, Rem. Nice."

He shook his head as he returned to whittling, Remnaar chuckling under his breath as he leaned over to stoke the fire, "We're just joshing you, you know. You _are_ the new guy, after all."

"Yeah, for how many months?" Parvaen shrugged.

Remnaar eyed him with a playful smile, "Hey, you haven't even been kiting yet. Maybe, just maybe, tomorrow night, you'll no longer be the new guy. but we'll have to see."

Parvaen sighed, hiding a frown on his downturned head as his small knife ran down the length of the wooden slab in his hand, the shavings joining the large pile of leftovers that had collected down at his feet. He paused for a moment, peeking up at Wintergarde, off in the distance, looking for the other two.

"You think something went wrong?"

Remnaar replied quickly, "Nope. Even if it did, if it's those two, it wouldn't be an issue for any longer than it would have taken to speak that sentence. Ulric especially; he's one who's two steps ahead of everybody. Very difficult to get a jump on him."

"Indeed!" came Ulric's voice from out of nowhere, nearly knocking Parvaen from where he sat, the blood elf's eyes wide in shock as Ulric appeared from the opposite direction of the Keep, "Sorry, pal. I didn't mean to get the jump on you; I figured Remnaar's words were warning enough."

Without speaking, Shadowmoon appeared from behind him, her light and quick steps rounding the ground before hurrying to the ground, sitting cross-legged with her woolen cloak covering her body as she slumped forward. The others knew it was code for her not wanting to be disturbed, though Ulric's presence was enough to steal their attention anyway.

"Alright guys, here's the deal. I secured a deal with somebody, so by the time we get to the Fjord and start up hunting again, we shouldn't have to deal much with the authorities. Luckily, the dwarves don't seem to take so friendly with D.H.E.T.A."

"All the way out here?" Remnaar questioned, annoyed, "Damn, Lathorius is diligent."

Ulric nodded, "Well, as long as we're here on this continent, anyway. Ever since Nessingwary left, we've sort of been public enemies number one. Not that I mind though."

He sat down on the ground beside the fire, smirking, "I can't think of a better group of people I'd rather be on a poster with. So, what's to eat? Any buzzard jerky?"

"Ahh," Remnaar responded, rummaging through his pack, "It must be story-time, eh?"

Parvaen looked up, curiously, "You mean-"

Ulric reached over, patting the elf's knee, "Well, we're going kiting tomorrow; I figure you're as much of the team as anybody by now."

Shocked, Parvaen's eyes grew wide as he leaned over toward Tandkota, speaking quietly up toward him, "Put that in your correspondence."

The tauren shook his head evenly as Parvaen returned to his spot, watching Ulric reverently as he lowered his knife and wood to the ground. The leader, however, scoffed, shaking his head.

"Oh please, it's no big deal," he chuckled, nervously scratching his thick beard, "It's nothing but a story. An unfortunate one, but I mean… Well, I guess it _would_ answer some questions as to how I do things."

To that, Ulric leaned forward, seriously, "What's our two rules?"

On the spot, Parvaen replied, "No guns. No bows."

Ulric grinned, nodding approvingly, "See? Well, there is an exception- this kiting business; but that's for tomorrow. Aside from all that…"

He trailed off, sighing, "I, uh… Despite this whole business, I don't particularly enjoy killing animals. I mean, not to some sadistic level. You've seen me confront creatures on my own before."

Parvaen nodded, "Y-Yeah, it's quite, er, 'primal', I suppose."

Ulric laughed, "Yes, I suppose so. I enjoy confronting nature, but only on as even of ground as I can manage. You see, my father was- Well, we lived down in Silverpine, and if you fight those creatures like I do, here, you'd lose every time, so he was always quick to the trigger. There was this one time…"

* * *

Ulric's eyes opened at the sound of a gunshot splitting the air, his body instinctively jumping up in his bed as he tried to get to his feet. His legs, so tangled in his covers, however, remained as his body fell out of the bed and straight onto the ground, a massive pain radiating across his face. As he lay there, a hearty chuckle appeared near the doorway, his father watching humorously with a rifle held up at his shoulder.

"Might be'a new rec'rd!" he laughed as his son slowly rose to his feet, "Ya ready, boy? 'Bout time I take y' out ta hunt."

Ulric had been dreading this day. It had been the delightful conversation from his father the last week or so around the table as the old man happily brought up the topic again and again. His mother knew he was less than enthused, but she knew it wasn't exactly her place to bring it up. Ulric knew that too, so he hadn't harbored any ill-will toward her.

Now realizing there was no danger, Ulric lazily pulled his clothes on as his father turned to stare out the window, his eyes shrinking into a stare, "Ehh… Ol' Denny ain't out yet. Figur'd we'd get 'im crawlin' 'round, but may hafta track 'im. Ready fer it, boy?"

Ulric didn't answer as his eyes dropped to the ground as he pulled his pants up, working at his belt. Old Denny was the deer that had been walking up and down the perimeter of the Walthorn's little stead, which would normally be a death sentence immediately, but Ulric's father figured it would be a good first kill for his boy, so he stayed his finger, waiting until this frost-bitten, foggy morning.

For a ten-year-old, Ulric hadn't felt much different from being nine, though he chalked that up to his birthday only having been the day before. Of course, there were no presents way out here, though his mother made sure to cook up an extra helping of stew for him, knowing what was to come in the morning. Ulric remembered how hot his insides felt as he ate his dinner; a cold shiver now running down his spine as he looked up to his father, and the rifle accompanying him.

The boy sauntered over toward his father as the old man made his way out, Ulric making sure to grab his coat before leaving, not wanting to wake his mother this early to say goodbye. He shut the door behind him, turning to see his father breathing into his enclosed hands, staring off toward the walls of Gilneas. He'd grown up there himself, along with his wife, but once talk began to circulate about shutting the land off from the world, the man had decided to leave, setting up out here in a much more desolate and dangerous place. He never liked being bound, and even being married, he'd once been known to be quite a scoundrel. Out here, though, all you had was your family.

Ulric joined his father in staring out over the field toward the massive walls, though hed only been an infant when the three left, leaving him with no memories of the place. The only emotion he could ever conjure was awe for the massive walls, but even that was beginning to wane.

His father started off, Ulric following close behind, their boots trudging through the fresh mud of the ground that came from a light rainstorm the night before, leaving the landscape with a foggy, misty air. They made their way up a steep hill, the other side leading into a valley beside a lake where many creatures would congregate, leaving Ulric's old man with an ideal spot to pick and choose their meals.

They made a spot behind a dead tree, crouching down in anticipation. While he'd never held the rifle himself, it wasn't the first time Ulric had accompanied his father hunting. He knew the basic procedures, and he knew all too well what the result would be- it often would be doing over his father's shoulders. He never looked when the tell-tale click of the hammer broke through to his ear; he'd always shut his eyes, but never looked away. He knew his father would be upset if he thought his son wasn't watching his proudest work.

Today, though, Ulric knew hed have to witness death with his own eyes. It was a thought that swirled restlessly in the pit of his stomach. His father pulled the rifle up and held it against the dead tree they'd taken shelter behind, leaving it balanced there for his son to take.

"Well, mah boy," he began, proudly, "Yer ten now; I guess it's time ya learn'd. You'll have yer own fam'ly one day; you'll need ta support 'em. That starts with this, 'ere."

Ulric shivered as he stared at the firearm, slowly reaching up to take it with his hand, pulling it closer. It was a lot heavier than he expected, even with it resting against the tree in front of him. His father had gone through how to fire and reload the night before, though Ulric knew that, if he didn't succeed with his first shot, he most likely wouldn't have the presence of mind to remember how to gain a second.

His father whispered with a grumble, "You ready, boy?"

Unable to speak, Ulric gave a shaky nod as he saw what his father had seen- Old Denny, trotting out slowly from the bush toward the lake for a drink. His breath came out as a disjointed set of steam as his lungs quaked under his nerves. His father turned at him seriously, suddenly pushing Ulric's arm, forcefully.

"Come on, boy! Ya wanna eat tonight?! Do it!"

Ulric's finger still hadn't made it to the trigger as his eyes stared, unsure, across the field, his hands shaking so much that the only thing keeping the rifle steady was the tree it was balanced upon. His father hit him in the shoulder, yanking at his arm as he leaned in for a vicious whisper.

"Boy, I swear ta god, if ya don't do as I tell you…" his father growled angrily under his breath.

The boy finally pulled the rifle over, slowly, shakily lifting it up to his shoulder as he watch Old Denny lift its head up, surveying the area for danger. Danger it had no reason to expect would come from yards away. Ulric's eyes burned underneath his tears, welling up from fear, shame, and anger. Anger at his father.

"Do it!" his father growled again, quietly, "Boy! Do it!"

Ulric's teeth clenched as he felt his sweat pouring down his forehead, sniffling past his tears, his father bringing an intense punch to his arm, finally shouting out in his own buildup of anger, "DO IT!"

Old Denny's head shot up. Caught between his father's yell, so associated with torment, and his hit, Ulric's head went blank just long enough for a cry to break free as he pulled the trigger, the sound of exploding gunfire blistering into his ears as he fell backward, his eyes shooting open in horror as he stared off into the distance, the deer's hind quarters fallen to the ground as its front legs desperately clawed at the ground ahead, trying anything to get away.

Ulric only sat there in a daze, unable to even hear his father yelling at him to give him the gun. Finally, the old man yanked the gun away, rapidly reloading it before aiming once again, and with a final clap of gunfire, the field went still. Ulric's eyes hadn't moved, but in the edge of his vision, he saw his father dropping his arms to his side, his chest exhaling in relief.

He turned to his son, throwing the rifle onto him, hard enough for it to hurt, before he started climbing over the fallen tree, "Come on. Gotta get home 'fore the wolves come."

The boy couldn't move. He could only barely hear those words at all as the scene played again and again in his mind, his entire body trembling as he sat in the mud. Finally, another vicious shout from his father broke him from his reverie, his eyes blinking free as he stood up to shaky legs, barely able to catch up to his father.

The old man leaned down with a knife, cutting across the deer's neck to ensure its death before turning to his son, pointing down at the body, "Well, boy. It's yer kill. You get the honor've carryin' it home. Be the hero 'n all that."

Ulric stared down at Old Denny, his tears having left, though his face was still red from his earlier sorrow. He didn't want to go anywhere near that corpse. He didn't want to be anywhere near his father, for that matter. The old man grumbled disapprovingly, crouching down to wrap his arms around the beast before standing again, forcing the corpse onto Ulric's shoulders before shaking his head and walking off, leaving his son to follow behind.

"I dun know what ya don't get," his father muttered, rhetorically, "We need food. That beast would'a dun the same to us if it could've. We may not be the highest creatures on tha food chain, but we made it pretty high, boy. Gotta take advantage of what we've been given."

"I'd like to see you prove that without hiding behind cover like a coward," Ulric muttered below his breath, his head lowered as he bore the weight of the deer at his shoulders.

In a split second, a jarring pain shot a ross his fave, knocking him to the ground as his father stood over him angrily, rubbing his fist against his stomach, "Boy, I swear to god. You question my ways ag'in, I'll put ya in tha ground myself, ya hear? I won't have ya talkin' back ta me."

Ulric resiliently started to his feet, without the aid of his father, clutching at the deer's hooves as he did so, keeping Old Denny wrapped over his shoulders. He kept his head down as the two began walking again, the boy's father huffing angrily under his breath.

"You showed promise, boy," he muttered, "Shame ta waste that."

Ulric didn't particularly care. He'd already stopped listening to him.

* * *

The air around the campfire had grown considerably more somber as Ulric concluded his story. Even though Remnaar and Tandkota had heard it previously, it was still quite a heart-wrenching tale, especially with how Ulric told it, nearly coming to tears himself, despite years and repeated telling. He broke the air with a clap of his hands, standing up with a grin.

"I figure, if you're going to be a part if this little troupe, you deserve to know why we do things the way we do," he explained plainly, "Obviously, it's led to some notoriety; I mean, all of you but Shadowmoon sought me out specifically to be part of this."

Remnaar chuckled, "'The Beast King of Northrend'. Yes, yes; we know. No beast can fell him, nor could the dragons of the Blight, were they to try."

"Hey now," Parvaen muttered under his breath, "You shouldn't speak ill of those magnanimous beings."

Remnaar eyed him sarcastically, but Ulric nodded, shoving his fists into his pockets, "He's right. I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind, however."

Even Tandkota peered up toward him as he said that, their leader's lips curling to a grin as he laughed, "Oh, stop. I've an active imagination, but I'm no fool. Tomorrow, Shadowmoon and I take Parvaen kiting, so you two can do whatever you so choose once we cross into the Fjord. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Tandkota and Remnaar exchanged knowing glances, the draenei smirking as he did, "So we shouldn't accept drinks from a shady character only to wake up hours later with no wallet or shoes?"

Ulric groaned, "Okay, anything I wouldn't have done in the last two decades, alright? Just stay on the down-low."

Remnaar nodded as his laughter fades into just a series of short bursts of chuckles, their leader walking off, "Get some sleep. All of you. We wake at first light."

The troupe agreed as they began packing up their recreations before pulling out their sleeping supplies. Tandkota, needing no such things, only took the few steps he required to reach Shadowmoon, who remained where she was, hunched over by the fire. He reached down to pat her shoulder, gently, her face slowly turning up toward him.

"You okay?" he asked, quietly.

She nodded, though the edge of her lips curved down into half of a frown as if she'd been mulling over some negative thoughts. She leaned slightly to the side, her eyes glowing like shining orbs in the dark as stared off into the distance where Ulric had wandered off to.

"Is he a worgan?"

Parvaen jerked forward, coughing violently into his arm, her question having caused him to choke on a piece of jerky. Tandkota watched her, his expression unchanged, while Remnaar smirked over toward her as he was kneeling down to prepare for sleep.

"You mean his primal manner and Silverpine childhood didn't raise enough red flags?" he asked, humorously.

Rather surprised to hear him speaking on this so freely, Shadowmoon shrugged at him, "I-I mean… Is he?"

Now, even Parvaen was watching the two eldest members with a worried look, though Tandkota simply sat down atop a stack of blankets, something out the edges, "Of course he isn't. Don't let Rem tease you into believing otherwise."

Remnaar laughed heartily, "You give me too much credit, buddy. Even I wouldn't joke about such things. But I've known Ulric for years; there hasn't been much of an ounce of evidence to conclude he's anything but a true-to-the-blood human."

He glanced over toward Parvaen, whose face still held a sense of worry, "Oh, come now. Trust me on this. Why would you even think that, Shadowmoon?"

She silently pondered over telling them what had happened, deciding against it as she answered, slowly, "…no reason. I'm just skeptical of any human so close to Gilneas."

The draenai shrugged earnestly, "Fair enough, I suppose."

They began to lay down to sleep, save for Parvaen, who remained sitting down by the fire, his eyes shakily watching out in the woods surrounding the group. He'd reached for his wooden piece that he'd whittled down into the shape of some exotic knife, keeping it close to his chest as he felt a swift kick to his side, hurriedly jumping to defend himself.

"Calm down," Shadowmoon complained as she pulled her leg back under her blanket, "Get some sleep. I'll protect you. Promise."

Parvaen did as he was told, grumbling under his breath, "Protected by a kaldorei. How that idea has so lessened in offense to me."

Shadowmoon laughed, quietly, under her breath, "Don't worry; Rem and I could still take the both of you, easily "

He scoffed, "Oh, spare me. Kota and I would clearly win. You don't even know; eh, Kota?"

He was answered only by silence, though with a small quake along the ground, Tandkota's reply emerged, "You're exploring territory you may not find desirable, blood elf."

Parvaen sighed, unfortunately, as Shadowmoon and Remnaar shared a chuckle.


	16. A Torn Home

Ulric crouched down as he made his way across a clearing toward a collection of rocks that stood tall, his body relaxing as he entered beneath the cover. He cocked his head around, waving for Shadowmoon and Parvaen to follow suit, the both of them keeping low themselves, emulation their leader. As the three collected beneath the shadow beneath the large stones, Ulric pulled his pack from his shoulder, kneeling down to rummage through it.

He pulled out a rugged-looking recurve bow, dropping it to the ground while his hand returned to his sack, "Two rules."

"No guns, no bows," Parvaen repeated, mechanically, earning a contented smile from his leader.

"Exactly," Ulric nodded, "Though there's one exception, and that's when we go kiting. We don't do it often, but you need to learn for if we ever do."

He walked just out from the shadows, crouching down as Parvaen did the same behind him, Ulric's hand pointing out into the distance, "Ah. A hippogryph, see?"

Parvaen nodded as he replied, nervously, "Y-Yeah."

Ulric chuckled, "It's fine; don't worry. I'll take this one, just to show you. Now, you never, _ever_ , aim to kill, got that? I don't care if you have to wait for hours, you never hit anywhere other than the wing. If you don't think you have the shot- if you have any thought that you'll also injure the body, do _not_ fire. Got it?"

"Ye-Yes," Parvaen nodded again.

"All we're doing is evening the playing field, right?" Ulric postulated, reaching for his bow while Shadowmoon handed him an arrow.

He scampered out from the small formation of rocks into the open, kneeling down as he readied his bow methodically. Keeping the arrow on his hand, he slowly lifted his arms as he took aim, his single open eye peering endlessly into the distance.

He did the best he could, but Shadowmoon's eyes caught the problem. Ulric had knelt to 'anchor' himself, but the composition of this landmass, the altitude, even the air pressure here was causing the most minute of changes to his aim. For such a precise act, any one of these factors caused a problem, much less all of them.

Quickly, Shadowmoon dashed out from the rocks, stepping lightly enough to make no noise as she made her way in front of Ulric, dropping to a knee and placing her open palms at the ground. Her head lowered, allowing Ulric to carefully hold his arm on top of her shoulder, careful not to leave any possibility of hitting her with the bow string once it broke loose from his other hand.

Eyes closed, Shadowmoon's hands slowly clenched downward, shoving her fingers into the dirt. Her heart slowed. Her mind focused on nothing but the darkness behind her eyes. Each vibration of the earth below ran a wave across her mind's vision- each burst of wind, each tremor, even Ulric's heartbeat at her shoulder. She quickly took note of the patterns, her body slowly moving in time with each movement, like a pendulum swinging freely atop a roaring ocean.

A bead of sweat ran down Ulric's forehead he was concentrating so much, trying to aim as well as learning the spots in Shadowmoon's movements where he'd have a clean shot. The hippogryph was far enough that his movements seemed slowed, but Ulric knew the creatures well. They flew heavily, slowly; especially this one; its wings flapped lazily, up and down. Up and down. Up and-

*FFFFFFSHWOOO*

In a second, the hippogryph whined as it descended to the ground, its wing impaled with Ulric's arrow. Shadowmoon immediately rolled to the side, allowing Ulric to burst into a sprint from his crouch, dropping his bow as he went along. Parvaen's eyes grew wide at the man's expertise, at the man's sheer explosion of primal energy as he hurried to the creature.

The hippogryph struggled to its feet as it eyed Ulric, viewing any creature as a threat in this state. It burst a loud *CAW* at him, but as it didn't slow him, the hippogryph whinnied, angrily, as it hopped back and forth in an evasive stance.

Ulrich smirked as he dodged the beast's hooves, which had brought down to the ground, violently, attempting to pin him down. Before the hippogryph could lock on to him again, Ulric had jumped up at its side, wrapping his arms around its neck as the creature tore its body from side to side to knock him off.

Quickly enough, it succeeded, as the beast managed to knock Ulric against the ground, blowing the wind out of him. Laying there, dazed, Ulric stared up at the creature's hooves, paused in mid-air at the top of its arc, before a split second of them striking down at him. He just rolled away, crouching against the ground to keep his footing, a bestial grin creeping upon his face.

Suddenly, he dashed at the body of the hippogryph, grabbing around its torso as he jumped, pell-mell, into the creature, tackling it to the ground, surrendering the beast's ability to bring its hooves up. Ulric hurried to its other side, away from its frantically kicking hooves, as he fell atop the creature's neck pinning its head to the ground, whipping a knife out and holding it before its eyes.

As if understanding, the hippogryph stopped its struggle, almost as if realizing its loss. It remained still, admitting defeat, though Ulric only smirked boyishly, pulling his knife back into his pocket as he rose to his knees, patting the beast's cheek before reaching his feet.

"It's not your time," he confirmed with a smile, "Maybe next time; you'll be more difficult then."

Almost confused, the hippogryph simply remained on the ground, its eyes closed in anticipation of pain. Though, they shot open alongside a massive whine as Ulric tore the arrow in half, yanking it from the beast's wing and tossing it to the ground. Without another thought, the hippogryph jumped to its feet, dashing off into the wilderness as Ulric and the others looked on.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Ulric turned to the others, shrugging innocently, "Not bad?"

Parvaen's jaw had fallen open during the confrontation, just not coming to his senses as his leader spoke, "That…"

Ulric chuckled, "You don't seem like the kiting type, but as long as you can aim well and pull 'em down, Rem or Kota should be able to help you out. I've long thought Shadowmoon, here, would be killed by attempting such a thing; her pride is usually larger than her muscles."

He laughed again as Shadowmoon swiped at him, playfully, though with a painfully sarcastic stare toward him. Ulric walked back along to recover his backpack, kneeling down to collect the articles that had fallen out, peering over to see Parvaen still unmoved.

Standing up with his bag, he happily patted his blood elf friend's shoulder, "Oh, come now. I know Shadowmoon has enough strength to carry your ass back, and I know you wouldn't want that."

"N-No," Parvaen confirmed, just coming out of his reverie, slowly turning as Ulric began walking off back toward their camp.

Shadowmoon followed behind, leaving Parvaen last, but he walked hastily, catching up to her, whispering with an uneven voice, "He-He's not a worgen, right?"

She didn't reply, but her stare remained cool as she watched Ulric from behind, examining his gait. He seemed so energetic, with a sort of pep to his step. Her lips curled in dissatisfaction, shrugging with a sigh.

"I don't know," she mumbled back under her breath, "But I'm keeping an eye out."

"I'm just curious," Parvaen shot back, quietly, "I'm not at all asking for the help of a kaldorei; not a chance."

Shadowmoon grinned, wrapping an arm around the man and pulling him into a sidelong hug, "Shut up and just keep walkin'."

She didn't noticed his eyes rolling.

* * *

Ulric's mother roughly wrung out the damp rag before unfurling it once more, covering her hand and running it up and down his back, careful not to be too rough. The sudsy water clung to him, though it was even more noticeable from the cold; Ulric's skin was constantly freezing, but his muscles were so sore from carrying home his kill that he couldn't do much but sit there.

Returning home, his father had left to cut up Old Denny, leaving his mother to help him get bathed for lunch. Upon returning and depositing the corpse in the nearby shed, Ulric literally was unable to lift his arms, which strained his shoulders, so his mother simply offered to help bathe him in the small bathhouse that had been constructed adjacent to the home.

The wall at the house was somewhat warm from the fire within the home, so his mother had pulled the large tub nearby, though it did very little to offer much warmth. Instead, Ulric just sat there, nearly despondent as his mind ran through what had happened earlier that day.

"This is gonna hurt," his mother spoke softly, grabbing his wrist and lifting up his arm to scrub underneath it, though the weltering pain did little to phase the boy, now.

She sighed at his lack of feedback, sadly, a frown having been on her face since they'd began, "I'm sorry, Ulric. I know it wasn't something you wanted to do, but it made your father very, very happy, you know. I tried my best to get you out of it, but you know your father."

Ulric nodded limply, "I didn't want you to get hit again."

She paused, unable to form anything resembling a sentence for a moment, before finally speaking up, returning to scrubbing at the same time, "Don't talk about your father that way. He just wants to make sure you're able to take care of yourself."

The two of them became quiet as she lifted his other arm to scrub there as well, pulling her rag into a nearby bucket to rinse off. She sighed lightly, not expecting it to be audible to her son, though he didn't say anything regardless. She soaked the rag in the other bucket before wringing it out again.

"Why did you marry him?"

His mother sighed, louder this time, dropping the rag in the bucket as she held on to the bucket's edges, "Ulric, regardless of anything else, he is your father. Just… Just leave it that alright? We're going to have a good dinner tonight, you'll get a good night's rest; everything will be better tomorrow."

"Until I go hunting again," Ulric muttered, quietly.

"You're helping us a great deal," she confirmed, softly, "That deer will feed us for at least a month. You did a good-"

"I killed a helpless creature," Ulric interrupted, "I'm no better than that god-damned son of a b-"

With a swift strike, his mother leaned over to slap him across the face, an angry stare meeting him as he recoiled in surprise, holding his cheek as she spoke, gravely, "Don't you dare."

Ulric still had a look of indignation on his face, but he lowered his head nonetheless, reaching up and yanking the rag from his mother, "I'll do it myself."

She sighed, though ultimately stood up, relinquishing much of any control. She knew better at times like these, simply deciding to leave her son be, so she grabbed a dry towel to wipe her hands, shaking her head slowly in resignation.

"I wish he was dead," Ulric muttered, quietly, as his hand fell down into the water of the tub, "We'd be better off without him."

"Ulric…"

"He would hurt you anymore, he wouldn't make me be a coward and kill things or hit me just because. You and I would still be safe in Gilneas; we'd be happy without him. I could actually read and learn and actually make you proud of me instead of thinking I'm just a smaller version of fa-"

He'd broken into tears, but his mother had quickly knelt down, reaching around to hug him as he cried. She gently stroked his hair as he trembled, both from the tears and the cold, quietly calming him down as she whispered into his ear.

"It's okay, sweetheart," she cooed, sadly, "It'll be okay."

His cries lessened, but his body still shook with low gasps for air between each tear drop. His mother remained holding him until he finally calmed down, the only sound coming from his sniffling as he reached up to wipe off his face with his wet hand.

His mother remained behind him, quietly speaking to him in a warm voice, "Look Ulric, I've gotten to this point in my life, and I have you, the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me. I know you're not your father; I love you for being so kind and helpful and headstrong- it annoys me to know end sometimes, but that's the sort of thing that gives you a name in this world, you know?"

She smiled lightly, "Just…stay strong for a bit longer, alright? Then you can go off and, I don't know, study in Dalaran or- I know you mentioned Lakeshire after seeing pictures of Redridge. You can train horses or build houses- anything you want to do. But you have to be strong, alright? Promise me that?"

Ulric didn't reply for a moment, still sadly sulking in his bath, "Only if you promise to leave next time he hits you."

She sighed, "Ulric, I can't-"

"I'm old enough to know what he makes you do," Ulric interrupted, heatedly, "I hate him for it."

His mother caught speechless, her eyes peered away, unable to speak. Ulric didn't say anything more, knowing that his mother's silence was better than her slapping him again. He remained still as she pulled away from her hug, falling backward to sit down, quietly.

"Do you remember when you were younger," she began, almost with a heartbroken voice, "You would wait until we were all asleep. You hated sleeping in your bed, so you'd collect your blankets, set up a pallet at the side of our bed. You'd reach up and find my hand and hold it until you fell asleep."

Almost in tears herself, she pressed on, "I thought to myself, "Oh no". I knew, that early, you weren't going to be like your father. That you'd hate him when you figured out what he was doing."

She finally broke into tears, quietly, only the choking of her voice coming through as she continued, "And I hated myself, knowing you would grow up like this. I've been such a terrible mother to you, but I thought if I could be strong, no matter what your father did, I could help not make your life so miserable."

She lowered her head, sadly, taking a moment to catch her breath, "You asked why I married him…but you already know the answer, don't you?"

Ulric slowly nodded his head. He knew it hadn't been her choice. It hadn't ever been her choice; from the moment that man had laid eyes on her, it had been stripped from her. And now, here she was, holding it all together for her son- the only thing in her life worth living for.

She buried her head in her arm as she pulled her legs up toward her, outstretching her other arm over her knee and outward. Suddenly, a wet hand grasped her hand, holding it gently as she poured out her tears. Just like her hand had helped him sleep years ago, his now helped her to cry.

"Promise me," she spoke up, her voice barely escaping a whimper, "When your life becomes what you make of it… Please, just… Don't hold onto grudges, or the past. I want you to forget all of this. Be the man you want to be. Don't think about him, or me."

She shook her head, hidden in her arm, "Just think about your life. Your family. That would make me so happy, you have no idea."

Ulric heard her words, so intently listening beyond her tearful shaking. For this woman, his mother, whose entire life was dedicated to him being something, he knew he couldn't squander such a thing.

All he had to do, for now, was be as strong as she.


	17. A Blood Elf's Tale

Ulric awoke from his dream in a cold sweat, gasping for breath as his eyes shot open. His torso jerked up as he sat there, rubbing his face, his head shaking as he, apparently, hadn't needed his own advice to avoid getting nightmares from his tales.

He had only vaguely remembered his mother, though in his dreams, she was far more clear than when he tried to recall her while awake. He pulled his blanket up to his shoulders, the cold managing to bite at the parts of his body that had smiled out from underneath its warmth. He could hear the others speaking, not too far away through the trees, his eyes turning to see the fire burning around their shadows.

Shadowmoon was sitting beside Remnaar as the two sharpened each of her two new daggers that she'd bought in Wintergarde to replace the two she had lost way back in Valiance Keep, her eyes squinting as she lifted it up to her face, her stare running down its sharpness.

"Not bad," she muttered to Remnaar, "It should be true enough to be used. I just hate its handle; it doesn't feel natural at all."

Remnaar shrugged, "You'll get used to it; you only had the last two, what, for how many years?"

"Too many, apparently," Shadowmoon groaned.

While they worked, Tandkota was still writing as he usually did by the light of fire, Remnaar's eyes popping up to watch him as he struck the stone in his hand down the length of the blade, "Still writing your brother?"

Kota nodded slowly, though offered no audible reply. Parvaen, on the other hand, had completed his wood carving, having sat it down beside him as he stared vacantly into the fire, still shaken up by Ulric's demonstration earlier in the day. Remnaar's eyes slowly turned to him, curiously. He wasn't ever the type to just be still like this.

"Parvaen," the draenei quipped quietly, the elf's face quickly bolting up to look back, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, nodding before looking back into the fire, "Yeah…"

Remnaar often found himself in a leadership role whenever Ulric was absent, due to his seniority. In these instances, he often would tease less, which the others quickly realized, and they equally respected him greater in these moment. Seeing a lack of morale, Remnaar figured it was something of his duty to lift his friend's spirits.

"What did you carve, there?" he asked, Parvaen quickly turning to what he was referring to.

"Oh," Parvaen spoke up, picking up his carving, which resembled a fanciful dagger, though instead of a blade, it was a curling serpent that ran swerved up from the handle, its head evening out into a sharp point, "It's a knife. It's supposed to resemble the daggers the satyr use; they would often imbue them with the darkest of magic. Legends usually make it out like the 'blades' are actually living serpents, but I've seen enough of these during archaeological sites."

He shrugged, "I don't know; I figured, you know, if we needed protection from the dragons over the Blight. I mean, I didn't finish on time, but we worked out."

Even Shadowmoon peeked up at him as Remnaar spoke up, curiously, "The dragons?"

Parvaen chuckled, "Well, it's pretty stupid, really. It's just a bunch of myths and junk, but the satyrs, apparently, found a way to kill dragons, and that's where these sorts of knives came from. Apparently they could pierce their scales or something, but I don't know; you'd have to think there was some evil magic going on."

He held either end of the dagger between his palms, swirling it around in front of him, "I love stuff like that, though. That's why I came up here in the first place; 'The Forgotten Continent'. I thought I could get my kicks hunting and also see what I could see from the ancients here."

He groaned, "Of course, after today…"

Pausing, he suddenly broke into a nervous chuckle, "I don't think I'm cut out for that first part."

"Why not?" came Ulric's voice from within the brush as he stepped out, the entire group looking to him, though Parvaen's was one of fright, having been confronted with such a question.

The elf stammered mindlessly, "W-W-W-"

Ulric's face had been serious, but it slowly turned soft as a smile showed itself. He walked toward the fire, slowly crossing his legs as he sat down, sticking his hands closer to the flames to warm himself, though his eyes remained on Parvaen.

"We all have our own reasons for being here. What makes yours any lesser than Tandkota's?" Ulric questioned, sincerely, "He writes to his brother, every night, though he's been dead for years now."

Parvaen slowly looked toward the tauren, whose eyes closed somberly, though he still kept his hand down against the sheet of paper. Ulric shrugged, reaching out for a stick to stoke the nearby flames.

"Remnaar, he came from a whole other world to find nothing here to be his. All he has, really, is this troupe; I found him wandering the landscape, emaciated, torn clothes. He couldn't speak a word of any of our languages, couldn't support himself. He'd been reduced to sitting near prairie dog burrows for days at a time, desperately hunting for anything to eat. This life I brought him into, its all he's ever known here on Azeroth."

He turned to Shadowmoon, his face quickly turning to confusion as he continued, "Shadowmoon, she… Well, I don't exactly know why she's here, but she's the best hunter I've ever seen, so hey, maybe it's just the sport."

She nodded, contented that he hadn't pried any further, Ulric moving along as he address Parvaen, "So, hunting isn't your first choice or your forte. Does that mean you're any less dependable? That you're any less fun to have around, that you can fix anything with a pocket knife?"

Ulric chuckled, "I may have a reputation for being a hard ass when it comes to membership, but as you know, I don't kill for sport. It's more for the people than anything else."

Parvaen lowered his head, feeling slightly awkward at having been told the darkest parts of everybody's past, save for Shadowmoon. He brought his hands together, twirling his fingers, fidgeting nervously as his face sunk in thought. Ulric didn't speak up as he sat back, probably knowing that Parvaen would open up without any more effort- he had honed these sorts of social skills long ago.

"There was, uh… I've always enjoyed history, artifacts, that stuff. Silvermoon isn't exactly the city for all that, though- you either get people who hate recounting our history, or if they do enjoy it, they're probably the ones so hopped up on magic, they're out of their minds half the time. So I joined a group of Horde excavators, mostly trolls, trying to stroke their own hubris by seeking evidence that trolls were the first beings on this earth, before even troggs and elves."

"We traveled all over, and I got pretty close with this one, uh…" his eyes surveyed the others nervously, "Gentleman, Zaakjin. We became lover's of sorts, sort of on the down-low, you could say, but it want anything that…"

He trailed off, his face comforting with a slight pain, "I mean, we loved each other. He was my entire world, you know, and I though I was his. Lo and behold, however… The group eventually made it down south to his home, so of course, me and the few other non-trolls were sort of left out while they did all their rituals and what not. A group of trolls came and forced me to the large bonfire, beat me to a pulp while they got Zaakjin."

"He just stood over me, watching me writhing in pain," Parvaen muttered along, emotionlessly, as if he'd long since run out of tears, "I don't know Zandalari beyond what I learned from the team, but I knew enough from what Zaakjin spoke to me in our private moments to understand that they'd found out. I guess they left it up to him to get rid of me; he grabbed me and drug me across the ground, leaving me on the edge of their camp, battered and bruised. He returned, and I never saw him again."

He sighed as the others held their heads low in so her respect, Parvaen shrugging as he cleared his throat, "So I guess I'm up here on a soul-searching dig or something. I cant even begin to tell you guys-"

He began to chuckle through a widely sincere smile, "I was so lost. So ready to kill myself or something. Then I ran into you all, and my days have just been… Just so full of fun, that I…"

The elf stopped before he could get choked up, though his smiled remained as he leaned forward, trying to keep control of himself. Out of nowhere, a large hand came to rest on his shoulder, gently patting him as he looked up to find Tandkota, the tauren nodded in acceptance.

"Not that you weren't already, but in light of today's events, you might as well be family," Tandkota explained, "Even those who are sent away, once you've gone kiting, you're one of us, forever."

Ulric nodded in agreement, leaning over to pat Parvaen's knee with a smile, "Welcome aboard, man."

The blood elf sniffled under the weight of his emotions, but he quickly shook it off, wiping an arm across his face, "Well now I'm embarrassed."

The others laughed lightly as he went on, breaking through his own laughter and tears, "Just- Can somebody else talk while I pull myself together?"

Remnaar happily obliged, "Well, we could hear the rest of our leader's story."

"There's more?" Parvaen questioned, earning an inquisitive glare from Shadowmoon.

Ulric sighed, "There is."

His face contorted in a sort of reluctance, but he groaned, shrugging, "I guess you've earned it. It's not exactly… I don't exactly like recounting it, personally, but-"

He looked up, smiling grimly, "If you're content with following me around for days on end, I suppose you've earned it."

Shadowmoon's glowing eyes peeked out from her shawl carefully, staring at him intently as he cleared his throat, dropping the stick he'd been using as he leaned forward into his lap, crossing his arms between his torso and legs. His face became distant. Cold.

Dark.


	18. Endgame

Wrapped up in his thick sets of clothing, Ulric despondently followed along behind his father as the old man strapped a rope over his shoulder, carrying a deer along the dirt behind him by its legs, wrapped up and knotted. The light was gray behind foreboding, dark clouds, the sun seeming to be hiding from Ulric's father- a position the boy wished he could partake in himself.

The two trudged through muddy, soft earth, Ulric needing to escape first and pull his father out of the slop before helping him pull the deer from the quagmire next. His muscles had already begun to ache as they'd done the last few times hed been brought out to hunt, his steps almost limping from a shooting pain in his lower back.

"Yer mother has food cookin'" his father muttered, "Told ya you'd get tha hang o' this. It's nice comin' home exhausted, eh?"

Ulric didn't answer, earning the ire of his father as the old man whipped his neck around, "BOY!"

He finally nodded slowly, answering his father indignantly, "It's nice."

The old man grumbled under his breath as he turned back forward, "I swear. I didn't raise no child ta yalk back or 'ave an attitude. I shoulda disciplined ya more; now yer mother's tellin' me to quit."

He scoffed, "If I have to beat ya like a drum to teach ya respect, god damn, I'll do it."

As he'd done often enough by now, Ulric had quit listening to his father, simply going along while listening to "key words" he knew to listen for, which allowed him to reply in kind without having to absorb much. Hunting had become something of a routine now, leaving Ulric plenty of time to hone this skill.

Their home appeared as they made their way up the hill leading down to their small stead, Ulric happy to see the end of this excursion. His father was still grumbling on about him, but he didn't care, breaking into a jog down the hill toward the house, his father shouting from behind him.

"Don't you run away, ya bastard!"

Ulric was far beyond his reach, anyway. All he wanted was to be home; somewhere comforting. Now that he was jogging, the idea to not even stop crossed his mind. How easy it would be to just sprint off into the darkness, start anew, all by himself. The only problem being, of course, that his mother would be left without anything.

All he wanted was to see her.

He panted as he slowed up at the door, hunched over from exhaustion before sliding his feet across the mat at the door, removing what mud he could before stepping up the few steps to the door, swinging the door open.

"Mother?" he questioned as he stepped into the home.

He walked to the coat rack to stow away his thick coat, exhaling brusquely as he lowered his head. His eyes felt heavy as they shut, his body waving slightly as he stood there, almost feeling the visage of sleep coming across him. Opening his eyes once more, he sighed as he turned around, walking toward the table.

From there, he could see the entire house, save for the loft, his eyes slowly scanning the whole of the building, finding nothing. Growing curious, he stepped further, rounding the table, slowly, the gentle popping of soup over the fire being the only noise he heard.

His steps were light, but every creak of the floor drew a quake up his spine as his curiosity turned to terror. He paused immediately, hearing a sudden sort of rough sniffle, followed by a low, vicious, tumbling growl from in the kitchen. His eyes ran wide as he gingerly grabbed at a knife from the table, praying that his mother hadn't been on the receiving end of this wolf's meal.

He stepped past the small, wooden island that stood between the kitchen and the rest of the house, a quick gasp escaping him as his hand released the knife onto the floor. He stepped back a step in terror, his heart jumping up into his throat as his pulse began to race.

His mother was on the floor, hunched over herself, shaking mightily as she pawed at the flesh of her face, suddenly switching to her nails, her growling turning into shrieks as her skin began to shred. Ulric could tell it was her, but her body had metamorphosed in a rabid contortion, hair lining her arms and coming up roughly up her neck and onto her face. She seemed to be clawing at her face to prevent the wiry hair from encroaching onto that final bit of familiarity, but as her cries began to slowly change to whimpers and yelpings, her claws simply shook violently in defeat in front of her face.

Ulric took another step back, the shoddy workmanship of his father coming through in the suddenly deafening creak at the floor, his mother suddenly shooting her head back at him with a sadistic, blood-curdling stare, her face nearly tearing as her entire physiology seemed to be changing, her nose and mouth subtly pushing out into a snout.

Tripping over himself, Ulric fell backward onto his back, quickly scurrying away, crawling desperately to get away as his mother took a suddenly sharp leap out from the kitchen, letting loose a deathly sort of roar as she eyed him, ready now to pounce o to him.

Just as her muscled tensed to do so, a massive *POP* broke the air by Ulric's ear, knocking him to the side, missing his mother's face exploding in a haze of blood and skin as she recoiled, crying out in a miserable howl. By the time Ulric recovered, his father had him by the collar, yanking him up to his feet as he pulled him back toward the door.

"Come on, ya little shit! Get away from there!" he shouted, pushing Ulric out of the house as they made it to the door.

Ulric quickly rose to his feet as his father desperately fiddled with the door, doing what he could to keep his wife locked inside as Ulric pleaded, running up behind him, hitting his back as his cries blew into tearful shouting, "No! We have to help her! Dad, no!"

The old man shook him off, kicking him to the ground as he finished yanking the door handle mechanism out from the heavy wood, leaving the door locked with no way of escape, save for tearing through the door itself. He spun around, Ulric staring up at him, terrified, unable to move, much less stand.

"I swear ta god," his father muttered as he stomped over to his son, "If ya don't get a move on, I'll fockin' leave ya to be-"

An explosive burst of glass and wood broke toward them from the side of the house as a gangly, lupine arm thrust out toward them, desperately clawing at them as a vicious growl was thrown their way. Instinctively, the old man whipped his gun around, firing at the beast's face again without even thinking, rushing away, grabbing for Ulric without looking, settling for grabbing the boy by the throat and dragging him along.

Ulric scratched desperately at the massive hand cutting off his air, gagging as tears streamed down his face, finally ripping the old man's fingers away and falling to the grown as his father yelled at him, his hand whipping back in forth to alleviate the boy, "You son of a bitch! Get the fock up then!"

Struggling to his feet, Ulric stated back toward their homestead, "W-What was that? What did it do to mother?!"

"I don't know," the old man reply, roughly, "But I don't 'tend ta stick around and learn more about it. C'mon."

The two dashed into the woods, content that whatever that creature was couldn't follow behind. Ulric was running so fast, his arms couldn't keep up with the branches in his way, his face taking a beating as varying sizes of twigs and bark smacking him in the face as he gasped for breath, unable to catch up to his lungs.

The two ended up in a clearing, beside the very same lake where Ulric had found his first kill just a few weeks ago. He looked around as he bent over to take a breather, his father panting as well as he took the time to reload his rifle, his eyes carefully scanning the trees surrounding all sides of the small grove. Ulric peered up at him; it was the first time he'd ever seen the man frightened.

"There were rumors," the old man mumbled aloud, "'bout some illness; that's why they clos'd up the gates. Said it been turnin' citizens into more wolf than man."

Ulric's forehead curled in horror, "Th… That was mom?!"

His father didn't reply as he rotated his body, finally looking at his son, "I don't know. Might've been fer all I know."

Ulric's face already blood red from his tears, his teeth clenched angrily as he suddenly rushed at his father, tackling him to the ground with a loud roar, kneeling over him as he rained punches down onto the man's face.

"YOU KILLED MOM!" he shouted, louder than anything he had ever heard before in his life.

His father frantically waved his arms around to try and grasp the source of his sudden blasts of pain, finally wrapping a hand around Ulric's wrist and yanking him off of him, furiously throwing the boy onto the ground as he quickly made it to his feet, aiming his rifle down at Ulric.

"OF ALL THA SHIT YOU'VE PULLED, BOY!" his father yelled back in a fury his son hadn't ever witnessed before, "YER LUCKY I DON'T OFF YA LIKE I DID TA-"

He paused suddenly, reaching up to his neck as he dropped the rifle in his hand, slowly dropping to knees as well. His eyes shot open, wide, staring over toward Ulric, who stared back in a similar horror, his arms and legs quickly carrying him across the ground, away from his father.

The man choked, his hand pawing at his throat as if trying to find some relief, his eyes building up tears as his body began to feel as if it were about to tear itself in half from the inside out. He bent down, his fingers digging into the soil as his throat released a pitiful whimper, his eyes burning from the accumulation of tears and sweat running over them.

"R-…" he whispered, hoarsely, as if he'd gone a month without water, "R-… R-…"

Ulric watched him, terrified, the old man hunching over in a bestial pose, his voice finally managing through a desert dry whimper, "R-… Run…"

Doing as instructed, Ulric slowly rose to his feet, his eyes never leaving his father as the man writhed there, hunched over himself on the ground, his hand scratching his skin as if to free something within him, trying to kill him so that it could burst free. Ulric eyed him, but his eyes slowly descended down to the ground, where his father's rifle lay.

He watched it just laying there, his eyes curious as his father's dry whines drowned out into the background. It lay near where Old Denny had laid, just a few weeks ago, Ulric thinking back to that day. His eyes slowly flashed up to his father, the old man resembling something like a helpless beast himself now.

Ulric slowly walked forward, toward his father, stopping short as he bent down to pick the rifle up, keeping his eyes on his father. Suddenly, the boys face turned to one of anger as he turned around, stomping off in the other direction, clutching the latch on the rifle, sending the empty she'll flying into the air as the gun reloaded, Ulric quietly holding it to his side until he made it nearly out of the clearing, stopping at a dead tree.

The same dead tree where he'd taken his first life.

He knelt down, resting the rifle along the side of the tree, his two eyes staring off at his father, pathetically clawing at himself and at the ground in a frenzied attempt at relieving the pain. Ulric bent his head down, closing an eye as he focused down the length of the rifle, aimed right at his father.

He was prepared to take a second beast's life.

His father managed to lift his head, his face beginning to shift just like his mother's, the old man's blood-shot eyes staring down the clearing toward his son, his voice croaking, panicking as he scratched at the earth in a vain attempt to escape. Ulric kept his aim true, even as his father yelled out through the disjointed tune of a howl.

"S-Son! Don't-!"

 _ ***BANG***_

Ulric remained unmoved as smoke trailed up from the opposite end of the rifle, distorting the scene beyond its vapor, but Ulric could see enough. His father fell forward, quietly, onto the ground. His lifeless pile of skin and bones fell to the side as gravity took its toll, leaving him laying there on his side, dead.

The boy slowly stood up, rounding the tree before walking over to his father, coming up within earshot before grabbing the rifle like a baseball bat, swinging it down onto the old man's face before dropping it there, panting lightly from the exhaustion.

"She needed two, you son of a bitch," Ulric muttered, shaking his head, "How dare you die so easily, just to escape. Couldn't even fight."

Ulric only watched him for a moment, allotting him only the time he figured he deserved in death, before turning around and walking off into the distance, head lowered as he contemplated his life. He had nothing here for him. Not anymore. He had no relatives, no friends, no-

Suddenly, Ulric's eyes broke wide as he reached up, grabbing at his neck. His throat choked up in worry, though his hand slowly slipped down from his neck, down his chest. His heart sped up as his mind raced.

What if the same thing was going to happen to him as well?

His feet still, he slowly managed to raise his leg as he began to walk again, cautiously, his mind still mulling over that question. As frightened as he had been, it was nothing compared to the terror that now lined the insides of his very mind. He decided, then, that he wouldn't stop to find out the answer.


	19. A Speck in Time

The campfire flickered lightly as those around it sat in stone silence, even the two who had heard the story before. Remnaar had actually heard it a few times, but it never failed to shock him, no matter how many times he head it. He knew what Ulric might have felt; lost in the world, no home or anybody to be helped by. Though, Remnaar figured, he hadn't language on his tongue; Ulric had blood on his hands.

"When I think about," Ulric cocked a grin, holding his arm over his upturned leg, "When I really consider it, with or without semantic argument, I haven't ever killed a man. Only beasts. And even then, only two beasts I've killed without a proper fights, and of those, only one in cowardice."

His grin faded into a frown, "So when you all talk behind my back about me being…one of those."

Shadowmoon jerked slightly.

"It doesn't faze me," he concluded, "I've often thought the same, myself. My mother would go, once a week, to the gates, seeking news that never came. Obviously, she must have contracted it there, and undoubtedly, my father forced himself onto her one night, contracting it himself."

He laughed, only slightly, "In that bitter irony, I suppose. I encountered no such situation, however, so as far as I know, no, I'm no worgen."

Pausing for a moment to feel the general air from the others, he sighed, reaching his arms up in a stretch, "Well, sorry for taking so much of your time."

"N-Not at all," Parvaen answered quietly, "I, uh, appreciate your openness."

"Hey, you were open first," Ulric chuckled, noting, "Any objection to us heading down to Valiance Keep tomorrow?"

Remnaar shook his head, "Not at all. There are some wares dwarves would never sell that humans often indulge themselves in selling. Who knows what we could find from the traveling merchants, as well."

With his own input, Tandkota spoke up, "I've never seen the fjord myself."

Ulric smiled, "Alright. Shadowmoon? Parvaen?"

The blood elf nodded readily, though it was Shadowmoon who seemed disillusioned as she remained there with her head low. The group watched her as she hadn't answered, though they all shifted toward Ulric as he stood up with a sigh.

"Shadowmoon. A word?"

She remained seated there, but ultimately acquiesced as she rose to her feet, following along behind Ulric as they made their way out of earshot from the others. Shadowmoon lifted her head, allowing the hood of her pelt to fall back onto her shoulders, before they, too, dipped, the whole of her coat slipping off behind her, her hand catching it as she dragged it along behind her leader, Ulric jumping in surprise when he finally turned around to face her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, non-committally, watching her expression carefully.

She sighed, "Yeah, I just… Sorry."

He watched her inquisitively, which she seemed to notice, as she went on, "I didn't mean to talk about you behind your back or anything."

Ulric shrugged, wearing a childish grin, "Really? Come on; its no big deal. I'm just kind of- You know, I've had people whispering about me for years. I'm used to it, right? The only thing that peeves me a bit is that people only talk behind my back because that's where I leave their asses, but I don't need- hell, I don't _want_ any of you behind me like that."

He left room far a pause, thinking, "I guess I should have explained it earlier, but it tends to make newcomers slightly worried, even scared. Obviously, I know that doesn't apply to you- I do t think I've ever seen you scared, but still. My bad, alright?"

He looked off toward the distant campfire, his voice coming out softer now, "You know, I wouldn't pull half of the things I pull if I didn't trust you."

"Trust me to save you, you mean," Shadowmoon clarified, but Ulric only laughed.

He turned back toward her, "Well, yeah, but just in general. You're very dependable; that's why we all love having you around."

He smiled as he reached over, patting her shoulder, "Keep it up, okay? As long as you're happy here, that's all I need to know."

His hand slid off as he started to turn back around, beginning the walk back toward the fire as Shadowmoon suddenly spoke up, "Why I came to Northrend …"

He paused, slowly turning back toward her, curiously, as her lips twisted in conflict, as if not knowing whether or not it was a good idea to go on. She was very much on the fence, but after his previous revelation, she figured she might as well. For all the trust he had, apparently, put in her, she'd learned long ago to trust him as well.

"I came because of you. Well, among other things- and you wipe that smirk off your face."

Ulric chuckled as his lips wrapped inward, trying to conceal his laughter, "Sorry. Go on."

Shadowmoon rolled her eyes, "Well, my sister was always I'll, so everybody was around her 24/7, right? They never had time for me, but I realized early on that nature, creatures of the wild- they did have time for me. Time for me to doze off into a nap, or hunt, or find a good tree trunk to just sit and wonder."

"My oldest brother took me to Darnassus one day, though, sticking me in a commoner area while he worked. I overheard these two Arathi dwarves talking about some story about the guy up north who was "more beast than man"; a great hunter who only traveled with the best."

She shrugged, "Maybe I felt the need to prove something, if not to my family, than to this man who so conquered nature."

Ulric nodded sarcastically, "And when you actually met me?"

"You've conquered nothing," Shadowmoon snickered, "But still, I admire you and your abilities. And I get to hunt all day; that's the greatest feeling, to be so free. I can't say I regret anything."

Smiling as he did, Ulric nodded, "That's all I need to know. Life's too short to-…"

He quickly remembered the life -span of the woman before him as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "Well, _my_ life's too short to have regrets. You elves… Do you often feel the same?"

"About the importance of not having regrets?" Shadowmoon clarified, thinking, "I suppose it depends on the severity. If it's something small, we have plenty of time to get over it. If its something big, like, say, an action of yours resulting in a loved-one's death… Elves have gone mad over such things. "

Ulric nodded, "So in the grand scheme of things… Like, okay, I've had my share of lovers in my day. Considering my life in something like eighty years, those months are really magnified at the end of the day. So for you, your life spans over thousands of years; would a months-long long thing, or something like this group- does it really even stand out as anything of significance after all is said and done, considering its just a speck in your life?"

Shadowmoon looked away, thinking, "It depends on how much importance we lend to it, I suppose. If we're still talking about regrets, if this were all a waste of time, I'll admit there wouldn't be much of anything to regret when it comes to where that little bit of time went. But I enjoy doing this, and you're all important to me. In that case, were it to end because of me, yeah, I suppose I'd regret it."

"So, one night," Ulric muttered, slowly, as if hoping she would follow, "That would barely be worth remembering then."

Shadowmoon eyed him seriously, though she did ultimately answer, albeit quietly, "That's why so many elves follow monogamous lives, simply to keep from accumulating an endless stream of worthless night. Some of us, it doesn't matter; we just allow time to dictate how we react to or remember these things."

She watched him cautiously, "If you're making a pass at me, I can assure you, I most likely wouldn't allow you to take me to bed."

Ulric laughed silently, staring down at the ground nervously, shaking his head for a moment before raising up again, watching her, "What if I were to ask you to take _me_?"

Something within Shadowmoon flipped something of a switch at those words, though she barely flinched as her eyes blinked emotionlessly, crossing her arms, "I'd say you'd be pretty fucking far in left field."

Ulric laughed, not revealing an ounce of nervousness as he leaned back, hands held in his pockets, keeping him looking vulnerable, "What if it wasn't even a question and I just took you for myself?"

To that, Shadowmoon didn't answer, or rather, she wasn't able to. The pit of her stomach quivered, far below the redness that began to stretch across her face, though Ulric didn't bother pointing it out. He only grinned as her mind was forced to reset, a shiver crawling up her spine.

"I-I'd still say you were-"

Ulric smirked, "Because I think nothing excited you more than that very phrase- somebody who was "more beast than man". I do t think you came here specifically for such a reason, but we've known each other long enough, I suppose. Maybe it began as a nagging thing at the back of your mind, but sooner or later translated into the way your fingers grab at your body in your private moments."

He still hadn't moved an inch, remaining there, confidently, while Shadowmoon's nerves caused her insides to shiver, though she tried her best to remain still, her lips just barely moving as she replied, coolly, "This is some more of that bullshit I was talking about."

Lowering his head to head another devilish turn of his mouth, Ulric shrugged, "Perhaps."

Shadowmoon found the strength in her legs, finally, to move them, slowly stepping toward Ulric in order to make her way back to the campfire. Within arms-length of him, she passed him, now free and clear, when his hand quickly shot backward, grasping her wrist, firmly, a cold sweat suddenly running down her face.

"Of course I know you won't mention this to the others," Ulric chuckled, lightly, "I know you don't want Remnaar bringing it up at even the slightest appropriate moment."

"And how do you know I won't speak up just so they know the kind of person you are?"

Ulric grinned, "Because I trust you. as I said."

His taught grip around her wrist loosened as his hand fell from her, allowing her to continue. She thought about retorting in some way, but by this point, her insides had already run around in circles enough times, leaving her rather frightened. She often prided herself on not allowing such things to happen- it's what made her such an invaluable hunter. She simply walked off back toward camp, wrapping her pelt around her body as she walked.

"We leave for Valgarde in the morning," he reminded as she exited from earshot.

Ulric didn't turn to watch her leave, simply staring down at his hand that had taken her wrist. Despite his even, cool demeanor, he finally released a sigh, happy that it all was over, a faint sting of rejection lingering around his chest.


	20. Landfall

Colin was sitting against the outer railing of the ship, hunched over to shade his sketchpad below as his eyelids fell closer, trying carefully to draw something so delicate- perhaps just the slightest bit of detail that was so small, it could have gotten lost somewhere in the back of his mind were he to forget it. His enchanted quill drew carefully across the page, his hand pulling back at the sign of even the slightest tremble.

Whenever he stopped, his head tilted upward, ever so slightly, his eyes gazing over the pages of his sketchpad, over toward the other end of the ship, where Kyra and Vylira were talking. Although he'd included the elder of the two back on Teldrassil, this picture included only one figure.

Kyra had taken a step or to back away from the side walls, bending over with her arms supporting her on that railing, staring off into the distance as she spoke to her sister. Colin couldn't help but stare at how her back curved downward in such an elegant show of how athletically lithe her body was. _This_ was the being who, when brought into this world, was so close to death? He had watched her for a while before actually deciding to draw her, only when the idea of Kyra being so close to death became so prominent within his mind- he often didn't think about it.

So, to take his mind off, he simply began to draw her as she was, now. Her purple hair flowing in the wind, showing off that neck where his lips had made their home on many occasions by now. Her shoulders, while slim, moved so freely whenever she moved her arms, probably in some combative show of being larger than she was. Though, it was there where Colin found his first dissatisfying marker.

Her shoulders were carrying her light set of armor; her feathered chest plate resting upon them before working its way down most of her torso. Colin's face had sunk when he'd first noticed it, here, after being so accustomed to seeing her in clothing of comfort back home. When not pilfering one of his button-up shirts to trounce around the house in, she often wore her own clothes which would often wrap above her chest, leaving her shoulders exposed, saying she could feel the sunlight on her shoulders and ears the most.

Colin had stopped drawing as he was thinking. She didn't belong here; this was his burden to bear- why wasn't she safe, back home, or with her family? Why was he dragging her out on another mission, to a most dreadfully dangerous of places?

He just caught a glimpse of Kyra's face turned around toward him, her face a distant sadness as she noticed his unsure scowl. She spoke something to her sister as she spun around, walking back toward Colin, who remained still, as if unaware that she was approaching him. She slowly sat beside him, examining his drawing with a smile.

"I've seen something like this before," she noted, softly, "Back at your hovel, before we had a home together. You couldn't stop drawing that experience at Splintertree; at least, I guess until you…"

She trailed off, expecting him to finish the thought as her hand reached over, slowly running down the beautiful picture he'd drawn of her; a side of herself she'd never seen before, "What, had something else to draw?"

Colin sighed, closing his sketchpad, "If something happens to you, there is no "something else" after that."

"Oh, and you think I've got something else?" Kyra retorted, though with a light hearted air, "We're in this together."

Vylira, having grown curious by Kyra's departure, had been watching the two with a skeptical, rough expression, obviously upset that she'd been left out. Kyra grinned as she turned away from her, back to Colin, knowing that her sister could very well hear them from that distance.

"Besides, we have Vylira with us," she muttered, amusedly.

"Damn right!" Vylira shouted from across the ship, getting Colin to chuckle lightly.

Kyra gently knocked her shoulder against his, "So I don't want to hear any more about this. Elune will watch over us, and Vylira will as well. She's never let me down."

The elder sister as freely turned back toward the ocean, happily leaning over the railing as her younger sister's words stoked her ego. Kyra grinned, holding Colin's hand with her own as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Besides, I like the cold," she noted, quietly, "It'll be fun running around with you in this weather."

Colin shrugged lightly, not wanting to disturb her, "I don't know; my last two adventures have done a great job leading me into rather incendiary adventures."

A deckhand walk across the bow of the ship, wrapping up a rode around his hand and elbow, shouting at the passengers, "Valgarde in about a half hour!"

Kyra nudged Colin, "Come on; Vylira and I were watching Northrend over there. Let's go check it out."

Colin nodded with a smile, the two rising to their feet, "Well, I suppose I'm just expecting the worst. It's just a few days trip up to the Blight, I suppose."

"Exactly," Kyra smirked, "Now, if you would, please instruct my sister on the finer points of safety?"

Vylira had been so far over the railing, her eyes trying to follow a sea creature as it swan beneath the ship, that her legs were waving in the air, keeping her balance, though her voice was strained, "I'm fine!"

Kyra's eyes rolled as she yanked her sister back onto the ship, the elder of the two frowning unhappily as she crossed her arms. Her upset was short lived, however, and the two sisters quickly returned to staring over the side of the ship at the encroaching landmass.

Colin stood behind them, finding himself watching them more than the large, rocky land that looked before them. He'd been without a family for so long that, even in her most rambunctious moments, Vylira's good-natured spirit always lightened his heart. Despite his words to the contrary, he enjoyed having her around, if only because she and Kyra were so close- truly lending him a glimpse into a sort of sibling life.

His mind wandered back to Darnassus, fondly, reminiscing on how fun it had been to live life amongst family. Amongst people so close that he could disarm himself. Amongst people that could disarm themselves in front if him, for that matter. Even with Kyra's siblings he had spent so little time with, Colin received a similar treatment, as if just being her mate offered him a sort of 'pass' into fellowship.

Of course, within just the hour, he would figure out that not all of her siblings were cut from the same cloth.

* * *

Part of the deal in getting here was that the Shadowmoon's and Colin were to help transport goods from the ship to the docks, which they did so, diligently. Vylira was eager to demonstrate her inability to heave to heavier crates, attempting to pawn the job off onto Colin, who immediately noted that she was strong enough to fell an ox. She reluctantly went ahead, pouting, though returned to her cheerful self as she returned to the deck.

As the last of the cargo made it off, the three helped to organize everything, with the ship captain directing them. Midway through, however, Kyra stood up with a small case of wine in her hand, staring off toward the inn, her eyes still as she stared at the group of men who seemed to be watching them.

Bending down toward her sister, she muttered, a bit concerned, "Hey, who are those guy that are watching us?"

Though she'd been quite happy-go-lucky up to this point, Vylira immediately tensed up at her sister's tone, slowly scanning the port until she noticed the men, still watching them, seemingly not caring that the two knew they were there. Vylira sighed, getting back to work, slowly.

"Those are Deegan's men," she noted, quietly, "At least, they're wearing his regalia. He's a big, bad boss man up here, so I'm not exactly happy they're eyeing us."

She groaned, shaking her head, "I suppose it _was_ foolish to expect an easy journey."

Kyra watched her sister's face sink, causing her even more concern. She quickly popped up to find Colin, who was lost in the tablet he'd been given to document everything. She sighed in relief, him still in sight, as she crouched back down beside her sister.

"So if they want trouble? I mean, what's the law like up here?"

Vylira chuckled, rather mournfully, "I know about as much as you do. I know some names and people, but I'm lost of law and order up here. I guess we'll just play it by ear; they might just be checking out two night elf women for all we know. We can't expect them to just be malicious."

The thought of being "checked out" sort of upset Kyra, though she knew it would be for the best, all things considered. At least, better than these men wanting to kill them or something. She continued working, though now with a wandering eye toward shore, noting that Vylira was doing much the same.

"Hey," Kyra muttered once she passed by Colin.

"The guys by the inn?" he replied, bluntly, "I noticed 'em too. They don't seem bloodthirsty; I mean, they're waiting for us to make it off the docks. They don't seem interested in me, either; they keep watching you two. Any plans?"

Kyra sighed, "I guess Vylira wants to just play it by ear; we don't even know what they want."

Colin shrugged before nodding, "If worse comes to worse, five on three- I think we could take them."

Unable to hide a soft laugh, Kyra covered her mouth, but Colin sighed, "Hey, I've learned a thing or two since I started fighting."

Kyra nodded, amused, going back to work in order to hide her chuckles. Colin groaned at that, but his lips twisted as his hand reached back around him toward the bag slung around his shoulder, feeling the hard outline of a book.

Eventually, finish with their tasks completed, the three made their way down the lengthy wooden dock toward land. As they did so, the group of men began to turn away, as if they were suddenly uninterested. The three remained wary, however, even as they stepped onto the shores of Northrend for the first time.

"Well, that was uneventful," Vylira muttered absently, "Are we staying here tonight?"

Colin's lips ran to the side, concerned, "I don't know; I still get the feeling that we're being watched."

Vylira shrugged, "Well, I'd rather be watched through a locked door than watched in the wilderness; I don't know about you. Besides, we might figure some stuff out if we run on to the inn."

He turned to Kyra for reassurance, her head nodding in agreement before they began toward the large building, keeping their eyes open. Colin couldn't believe that, right off the boat, the light-hearted air of the journey had come to an end, though, just by looking at the profile of Kyra's face, he knew she felt the same.

The inn was a rather sleazy place, as expected from the biggest Alliance port on this side of Northrend. Many patrons were from incredibly varied backgrounds, simply here in a conglomerate of sea-weary sailors, partaking in alcoholic reveries and shanties. The three sidled on in, Vylira leading them to the administration desk, a tired, old gnome sitting atop a tall stool going over paperwork.

Vylira leaned over across the counter, clearing her throat to get his attention, which came with little to note, though she began anyway, "Excuse me, innkeeper. We're new here and-"

As she went on, Colin looked around the darkened tavern-like interior, shocked at the behavior of the patrons, which ranged from wild bursts of unheard-of words to dramatic collapses to the floor. Kyra turned alongside him, her arms crossed as she watched, confused.

Such a place was rather foreign to her, even despite her two years off of Teldrassil. She'd never taken time to partake in such drunken activities, and being here was like a whole new world. It was a feeling she didn't particularly care for, though she found it interesting in its own way; the stupors turning otherwise intelligent men into mindless animals. She eyed Colin, who seemed embarrassed by the behaviors, but he only sighed as if being here was a rather uncouth activity.

Suddenly, Kyra jumped rather violently; her eyes flying open wide as her neck whipped around, meeting the inebriated grin of some old coot who'd just taken a grasp at the back of her thigh. She winced into an angry scowl, but in that second, a fist flew past her, smashing heavily into the man's face and sending him flying backward and into a nearby table in his drunken coordination.

Kyra shot a look of surprise at Colin, who held his open hand with a pained expression, waving his unarmed weapon in the air as he seethed, "Ow, that hurts more than you think."

He turned to his lover, grinning goofily, which, compiled with his defensive grasping at his fist, wasn't the manliest of situations for him to be in, though Kyra was sure she hadn't ever loved him as much as she did then. Despite that, she still wore a weary expression, leaving Colin to lean toward her, concerned.

"Hey, go get some air outside, okay? We'll get this," he spoke up, "Just stay nearby, in case those guys show up. Don't be a- Okay, just like us help you be a hero, alright?"

Kyra nodded distantly, walking over toward the main door as Colin watched her, more or less, escaping this hole. He groaned, stroking his head, though it remained swollen; the pulsation of a bruise beginning to take hold of his extremity.

"Uh huh," Vylira nodded, "And about the room, I'll need one for-"

"Hey," Colin interrupted her, pulling gingerly at her sleeve, "I'm going to head on outside; my hand's just… I'm going to get some fresh air or something."

Vylira shrugged, still more lost in her conversation than him, so Colin simply followed the path Kyra had taken, hoping to have some sort of alone time with her on, this, their first night in this new world. He stepped out, carefully, though immediately noticed that Kyra was missing, a quiet sigh leaving his mouth with a shake of his head.

He looked around to see where she'd gone to, thinking she had seen something and decided to pursue it. Had it been something so malicious, there's no way she would have succumbed in the time it took for him to leave. He went around to the corner of the building, turning to peer down the length of its side, catching a faint glimpse of Kyra at the other end, turning the corner in a haste.

Colin quickly followed after her, now concerned at how fast she was going. Who was she chasing? He didn't bother to think about it, simply dashing down the long exterior of the inn, finally coming to where hed seen her, grasping the cornerstone as he whipped around to the other side, sliding to a stop in horror as he was immediately confronted by the five men from earlier, all staring at him, confused.

Without looking at the ground, he could see Kyra laying there in his blurred peripheral vision. He quickly jerked his hands up to defend himself, but the man closest to him already was bringing a wooden sword down onto his head, crashing against Colin's head, knocking him into darkness as he slumped to the ground.

The leader of the group sighed, obviously not wanting this, "Take 'em both, I guess. He might be her accomplice or somethin'. Deegan will be happier that we got him than that we didn't."

His men all nodded as two of them picked up the slumping bodies, carrying them over their shoulders as the small group of men made their way off toward the docks.

Kyra wandered back into the inn, still patting her face dry with a towel she'd brought, reaching Vylira just as she spun around, leaning against the counter of the administrator, "Got us a room for the night. Put us as 'Underhill' just in case; we've got more eyes staring at us in here."

She groaned, "Yous think theyd never seen a night elf before. That dranaei in the corner over there? Can't stop ogling me."

Vylira sneered at the man, who immediately shifted away in his seat, ducking toward a blood elf who was sitting beside him. Vylira shook her head, displeased, before checking out her sister, head to toe.

"What happened to you?"

Kyra shrugged, "I just dunked my head in the fountain nearby. I was getting kind of overwhelmed. I guess Colin already went to the room?"

She was met with a blank stare, "Wait, where is he?"

Vylira shrugged, "Said something about getting some fresh air; I figured he was off to find you."

The two watched one another for a moment or two before rushing toward the door, quickly making their way outside, missing the dranaei's concerned stare as they went. Outside, they quickly looked around, though to no avail.

Vylira cursed under her breath, "Shit. You think Deegan's men- why would they take him, though?"

Kyra's mind froze, unable to form a reply as she stared off into the distance. She hadn't an idea of what to do; her head just forming into blankness. Vylira quickly ran off to try and find him, leaving Kyra there, still.

"I swear, these kids," Vylira muttered to herself, annoyed.


	21. Syheath

Even before Colin's eyes had opened, he could feel his body like it was on the head of a top, swaying in different directions in a somewhat rhythmic fashion. His eyes opened up to a subtle darkness, which was rather welcomed, as he could tell that any sort of direct light might have scorched his long -closed eyes. He managed to move his arms, gingerly pushing himself up and back against a wall behind him, allowing him to relax while also taking in his surroundings.

He was clearly within a darkness, trapped behind a collection of bars that lined against a hallway outside of his cell, his head spinning as he came to. Watching the bars up against the walls surrounding him, he could tell the lumber that lined the floor and walls was magnificently different from anything he'd seen down south, thinking there must have been trees unique to Northrend.

Now intrigued, his hand ran up and down the wooden slats beneath him; the lumber almost cool to the touch, almost like the silverbark he and Ovuun had long-since collected back in Darkshore. His admiration seeming out of place here, even to him, he quickly pulled his hand back toward him, staring off into the darkness.

Only this time, he saw something.

A pair of faintly bright lights, sitting almost across from him. Eyes. Staring at him, almost with a sinister intent, judging from their shapes. They were night elf eyes, surely, though Colin could tell they certainly were not Kyra's. He had memorized every hue and shape of her eyes, but this pair was immediately foreign to him.

He peered over at them, though tried his best not to offend whomever this person was. Instead of simply staring, he figured he had nothing much to lose in bring diplomatic, seeing as how he was, in this case, protected by the bars that had him captive.

He cleared his throat, speaking, though his voice was more gravelly than he expected, "Hey."

They didn't reply, so Colin went on, "What are we in for?"

Still nothing. In fact, the eyes seemed to shrink as if staring at him even more sinisterly.

Growing rather nervous by that, Colin went on, "I guess you were the one I chased back behind the inn; I thought you were somebody else."

A female voice suddenly broke the air, gravely, "Quite the missed observation. Bit too late to realize that."

Colin chuckled, "I guess. As soon as I saw your eyes, I knew I'd screwed up. You live and learn, I suppose- well, I'm not sure, in this case."

He looked around to look for anything that could be used for executions, but the voice spoke again, "My eyes, human?"

Nodding, Colin explained, still looking around, "Well, I'm sort of mated to a night elf, so I've been with her long enough to tell the difference sometimes. Hey, did you see who put us down h-"

"That's not something you hear every day."

Colin looked at her, amused, "Well, I mean, I didn't exactly expect it myself, but here I am. Not that I know where "here" is, really."

"We're under Deegan Poore's thumb," she muttered, quietly, "He's keeping me to Valiance Keep for 'trail'. Though, knowing him, it will be quick and very partial."

She groaned, "And you seem to have been rounded up yourself, probably as my _accomplice_."

That final word left her with an air of humor to it, though Colin failed to catch it as he was thinking of a reply, "Okay, so basically, we're stuck here for a while, huh?"

He noticed whenever she blinked, her eyes suddenly disappearing for the briefest of moments, though not the two lights vanished, presumably as she was getting comfortable, "Get used to it. Might be another day or so."

Colin watched her or, more likely, the darkness that encased her, "You seem pretty calm."

She laughed, "I'm not going to trail."

"I see," Colin smirked, "Any chance you could include me on whatever you have cooked up?"

She paused her laughter, her eyes suddenly appearing again, "Look, kid, if you're aiming for some sympathy points because you lay with one of my people, you won't find it from me. This is Northrend; the only law that stuck around after the Lich King were the ones willing to buy and cheat their way up the ladder. This isn't the place where you help strangers; you have you and your own, period."

Her eyes shut again, "I just happen to have the right friends is all. That, and I don't go running after strange people."

"You got me there," Colin grinned.

He relaxed, the two seeming to fall into a mutual silence. His opposite hand reached down to touch the lumber of the ship again, hoping its coolness would calm him, but all it met with was leather. He looked down, seeing that his satchel had simply been thrown in with him, offering him a sigh of relief. His sketch pad was in there, along with his never-ending quill and various other goodies he always took with him on trips.

He removed a small orb that lit up at his touch, giving him some light, as well as seeming to earn his fellow prisoner's curiosity. She eyed him carefully as he strenuously set aside everything in order, finally revealing a small vial of water. The elf's eyes seemed to sparkle as she noticed it, her body instinctively leaning forward to study it.

"Okay," she muttered, "I thought you were just bullshitting me."

Colin laughed, "Oh, about the whole mate thing? No, I really am mated to a night elf."

She nodded slowly, "It's been so long since I've seen moonwater."

Colin twirled the vial in his hands, staring at its contents. He had planned to wash his hands with some, which always calmed him down, seeing the smoky water seem to pour down between his fingers like vapor. His eyes looked over at the woman, however, his face grimacing as he pulled his arm back, throwing the glass across the inside of the hull.

In a split second, she caught the vial in her hand, whipping it across her face with tremendous dexterity, staring at the vial in her hand, nostalgically, "I used to play in the moonwells. At least until the priestesses kicked me out, oftentimes literally. Is this from Teldrassil?"

"Not really; the elf who conjured it is from there, however," Colin confirmed, seriously.

She nodded admiringly before tossing it back. As it flew toward him, Colin reached up, but at the hard glass crashed against his hand, a sharp pain suddenly burst down his arm, the vial dropping to his lap at he squeezed his arm against his chest, trying to dull the pain, a loud curse flying from his lips.

"You okay?" the voice asked, sincerely.

He nodded, "Yeah, just- I had to punch somebody. I can't remember the last time I had to do that."

"Welcome to Northrend," she teased with a chuckle, "If you want to survive out here, you'll need punch a few people. or creatures. What brings a human like you out here, anyway? You don't fight, you have a woman- you're not an adventurer, I'm guessing."

Colin smirked, more conniving now that he was hidden in darkness, "Just a quick business thing. Obviously, I wasn't expecting this to happen."

He went on, "What about you? How does one end up on the wrong side of a bad guy like Deegan?"

The elf laughed, "You may be open yourself, human, but I assure you, you won't learn anything from me. As far as you know, I'm just a feather in the wind; by the time you figure out a way back to freedom, I'll be long gone."

"Far away from home," Colin sighed, resting his head back against the hull.

He meant himself, but apparently, the elf took it as referring to her, leaning forward and staring in his direction with a sneer, "And what the fuck do you know of my home?"

Colin suddenly jumped back to watch her, confused, "I must mea-"

"You may fuck a night elf, but that doesn't mean you know shit; I have blood through my veins that would make you shiver- the last thing you want to do is piss me off, human; I'll start tearing shit off!"

He watched her in a confused mess, though as her outburst came to an end, a look of slow realization came over him. He smiled, only allowing himself to chuckle because he knew how much off guard it would out her. Sure enough, it did surprise her, enough to pause and just stare at him incredulously. Normally her threats worked, but…

Colin grinned, "I think I know more about your home, now that I think about it, than you do, as of late; at least, if my assumption is correct, child of Starbreeze."

Even without seeing her, he could feel her expression immediately change as the vehement air that surrounded the room suddenly extinguished. He began to chuckle lightly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You have a sister. Kyra, right? And another, Vylira?"

The voice didn't speak again, and Colin couldn't make out any movement by her sounds. She was simply sitting there, absolutely silent, probably due to shock, he figured. Well, given her attitude toward her family, it may have been in horror, rather.

"Syheath?"

Immediately following his single word of dialogue, a sudden force flew straight into Colin's face, jerking him up in surprise as a pebble fell down toward his lap, a sharp, fiery shout coming from across the room, "Don't you dare call me that! Do not!"

Colin rubbed his face, "Calm down; of course I won't, if that's your wish. I'm Kyra's mate; as far as I'm concerned, you're family to me. A very angry, very adept at throwing things member of my family, but nonetheless."

Syheath laughed, though it was more of a scoff, "Well you'd better get over that real quick; I don't even know you. And if you don't refer to me as 'Shadowmoon', I swear to Elune herself that I'll make sure you're no longer able to be a mate to anyone."

"Note taken," Colin acknowledged, wide-eyed, "Don't even worry about it. Please."

Shadowmoon groaned to herself, muttering lowly, "Of all the people I had to be put in here with…"

"Do you not like your sisters?" Colin asked, grinning, knowing it was enough of a bad time that her screws would be turned.

"You know my mother was a Shadowleaf, right? I picked up enough; I could kill you from this whole other cell if I truly wanted."

Colin wielded a slightly playful smirk as he replied, "I'm still alive, though."

Shadowmoon seethed at her bluff having been called, but she remained where she was, seemingly content with just shutting her eyes and leaving him be, simply zoning him out. Colin couldn't have but silently chuckle, shaking his head. It was almost like teasing Vylira, he thought; all these Shadowmoons were different, yet all so similar.

He sighed, taking a moment to be silent. He couldn't see Shadowmoon's eyes anymore, so he lowered his head, watching the vial of moonwater rolling back and forth through his fingers as he played with it, watching the water within sloshing around.

He thought back, as he always did when thinking of moonwells, on that first morning he woke on Teldrassil, coming across Kyra in her nudity, though it wasn't ever in lust, which he found odd. She had chastised him, somewhat, afterwards, going on about how humans were so much full of those ideas, but even then, he had more admired her beauty than anything to do with his own form.

""You know," Colin began, quietly, "Your family sure does miss you."

There wasn't a response, but Colin went on, "You know, I met your twin brother. He has the same eyes as your father; I was sort of curious if you had the same. Kyra said he was always quite the prankster; that was after he sent me into a spider's den with a knife and one arm tied to my side."

He heard a sigh as Shadowmoon spoke up, "He always said he didn't ever need new pranks; just new people."

Colin laughed, turning serious as he sighed himself, "I think he misses you the most. I know you probably think Vylira and Kyra would be the ones to come here and scold you before dragging you off back to Teldrassil, but I know your brother missed having you there. He's gotten himself a mate, now, and even has a enchanting firm, 'Aaleas' Maelstroms & More'- nice place, though he makes sure all the books are laced with magic that makes them bite at people who don't purchase then."

"I wanted to peruse, not get a bruise," Colin laughed, "That's what he said, anyway. "

He shook his head, lost in his memories before he saw those two orbs of light reappear in the darkness, Shadowmoon's voice still unwavering as she muttered, quietly, "You should hear him wax poetic in Darnassian; those rhymes and puns would make a tree weep with laughter."

"[Just like a wisping willow]," Colin grinned in Darnassuan, though not receiving the appropriate laughter he'd been promised, from a pun he had, indeed, heard from Aaneas.

"You're not weeping."

"That's because you butchered the shit out of it," Shadowmoon criticized, rather harshly, "You obviously didn't end up with that bratty sister of mine due to wordplay."

Although Colin quickly noted the description he'd heard of Kyra, he slowly pulled his bag over and pulled his sketch pad out. He examined it quietly, Shadowmoon's eyes gently waving in the dark as she tried to get a better look at what he was holding. Suddenly, he dropped it onto the floor, shoving it before it slid powerfully underneath his bars, over the hallway, and underneath her own cell, coming to a stop under her hands grasp.

She gingerly lifted it up, only recognizing what it was as she opened the first page, finding a sincerely drawn picture of Dolanaar that Colin had drawn at some point. Shadowmoon remained still, her eyes not even blinking, as if entranced by the image for quite some time. She almost felt as if she were back at home.

Colin always carried a new sketch pad for every trip, so he knew she wouldn't stumble upon anything risqué, but as she turned the page, she gasped, suddenly jarring him from his relaxed stare. He watched her fearfully, hurriedly running the images he'd drawn through his mind, trying to figure out what she'd seen.

He paused, though, as he noticed the gentle sparkle of starlight running down, away from those now-soft lights of her eyes, her voice quivering as she spoke absently, "Brother…"

That's right. It had been Kelaeth he'd drawn, the first time Colin had seen him out of bed. He'd escaped that illness himself, leaving the Shadowmoon home to find that man, so serene, almost at home by the fire. It was one of the few pictures Colin had actually colored, which probably had evoked such a reaction from Shadowmoon.

"He's okay…" she spoke, more as a statement than a question.

Colin nodded, "Elune made sure to see to that. Your parents and him are home from Hyjal now. That was from right outside your home, actually."

Smiling gently, he went on, keeping an eye on the glow that shone off of his book, "A lot's changed."

"Not enough, I bet," she grumbled, still with an evenly cynical tome despite her few drops of tears, "Not that it even matters. I have my whole life up here; my very own life. I no longer need my family there to give it value. I ensure of that itself."

Colin stared at her curiously as she went on flipping through his sketchbook, suddenly scoffing in annoyance, "Those two. Ugh."

He surmised that she'd reached the drawing of Kyra and Vylira by the same fire, though he was still unsure of her disgust, "Why do you dislike them so much?"

Her eyes shot up toward him, curving down between each other in a grimace, "Ask them. If either one of them's enough of a woman, they'll tell you."

Shadowmoon slammed the boom shit before sliding back over toward him, her body curling away, her eyes following before disappearing, as if she'd laid down to go to sleep. Colin leaned his head back against the wall, looking up toward the ceiling. He'd been feeding her words, and even his sketch book, in an attempt at figuring her out, but after all was said and done, she was still a stranger.

He did know, however, that she was, indeed, a Shadowmoon. Were the door out of here to open, she wouldn't give up until she was out of here. He could only hope that he'd be included.


	22. The Jailbreaks

_A/N: Sorry for my lack of productivity, but I've sort of hit a spell of writer's block (which is odd, because I know what I want with the rest of the story, it's just sitting down and actually writing it), but after a year of near-constant writing, I guess it's only to be expected xD Regardless, none of these stories on here do I plan on leaving incomplete, so if I'm gone for a while, just know that I will definitely return! I'm excited to finish this and get it printed into an actual book :D Happy reading!_

* * *

Colin had fallen onto his back in a vain attempt at sleeping, though the cold wood beneath him made it just uncomfortable enough for such a thing. He thought that may have been the point of this specific choice in architecture, and if that were the case, it was the correct one. He managed a few minutes of a nap, which was enough to refresh him in an incredibly superficial sense.

Laying there, he tilted his head to the side, finding nothing of the two orbs that belonged to Syheath, and having heard nothing from her in quite some time, he figured she had fallen asleep. Though, the thought came to him that, perhaps, she was in the same situation as him.

He thought curiously on her- he'd spent so much time with the two Shadowmoon girls who'd been tempered in the throes of battle, he wondered how different Syheath might be, given her seemingly adverse attitude toward such things; she definitely appeared to despise authority in some sense, having come all the way out here to be her own person, he'd thought.

Figuring now to be as good of a time as any, Colin spoke up, quietly, so as to not wake her should she be asleep, "Hey."

For a moment there wasn't an answer, but within a minute or so, a low voice appeared, almost longingly, "What?"

Colin pushed himself up and against the wall, groaning to himself as his muscles ached from laying on the hard floor for such a time, "Can't sleep either, huh?"

"Did my reply just give it all away?"

Grinning at her brusqueness, Colin shook his head, "You could have fooled me. I assume all elves forget that their eyes give off light?"

He heard her body moving along the ground, probably as she was sitting up herself, a pair of soft lights suddenly showing through the darkness, "Do you forget that you have a nose?"

"I just don't think about it, but I see what you mean," Colin admitted, "I was just curious is all. Your sisters grew up in stealthy forms of combat; they just seem to be more aware of it than others. I guess I was just asking how rough you have it up here; will the creatures up here notice your eyes?"

"Some," she replied, annoyed, as if answering such a question was rather demeaning, "I'm usually quick enough when I need to be. Even if it tips them off, it's usually because I'm a few feet away from the kill anyway."

Colin nodded to himself, chuckling, "I know your other sister, Y'eanel, I asked her a similar question and she almost seemed as if she was being told for the first time that her eyes were so bright."

"You seem to have a rather sick fascination with such things," Shadowmoon noted, pithily, as though hearing of somebody's odder set of fetishes.

"No no," Colin replied, amusingly, "I don't know; it's just interesting, I think. I guess, in many ways, we humanoids are so similar, but your eyes are so different."

He thought quietly for a moment, "Kyra, when I stare into her eyes, you get that thing where, when you close your eyes, the lights of her eyes sort of become burned in your sight behind your eyelids, in your mind. It reminds me of your mortality; something so powerful that it transcends so much, even the physical realm, yet it always just fades away in enough time."

He smiled, "I mentioned this to Kyra once and she was rather disinterested, so I suppose I just had a lot of time to ponder over it."

Colin could feel Shadowmoon's eyes tilt toward him, staring, as she spoke up, quietly, "You seem to have a lot of ideas that you've pondered over."

"True," he admitted, easily, "I'm a traveler, though, so that gives me plenty of the world to see and wonder about. For most of my life, when I wasn't doing that, I lived alone, doing menial tasks for work; when everything gets so mundane, all you have, really, are your thoughts."

He grinned, "It's probably too exciting as a soldier, though; Kyra and Vylira, both, are quite grounded. It sort of balances out myself, though."

Leaving room for his prison mate to reply, Colin left the air quiet, although the silence wasn't so much awkward as it was still as Shadowmoon thought to herself, finally speaking up, "It's non-stop action up here, but I find time to think about stuff. Though, I can't say it's anything so trivial as my eyes."

"Probably for the best," Colin spoke, lightheartedly.

Shadowmoon shrugged, "I usually think about other people. Their motives, how they perceive me, what my standing is with them. My opinion of others is… I guess you could say 'cheap'- it takes an awful lot of work to earn my trust."

"Do you think about your family like that?"

She scoffed, "It's because of my family that I'm like this."

Colin eyed her curiously from across the hallway, watching her eyes dip low as her head fell forward, slowly, "I don't know, I… When Kyra came along, everybody was so busy with her illnesses, there wasn't any time for me. I guess because I was shortchanged in that way, it's difficult for me to accept much of anything at one's word. I've been traveling with my band of hunters for years now, I still have difficultly taking anything at their word. They're great people, but I can't bring myself to sit still and think, "Hmm, don't worry, they'll come through"."

She let loose a slightly chuckle through her closed mouth as she went on, "That's why I'm always the one so deep into checking on them getting stuff done. I'm sort of known as always having an eye out for them when they get into trouble, simply due to that."

"You seem to trust me," Colin shrugged, sincerely.

"This isn't trust," Shadowmoon reminded, glibly, "When that door opens, I won't see you again."

"I sort of figured that," he grinned, "I also figure you have no interest in returning to your family?"

"Let me put it this way," Shadowmoon spoke up, passionately, "I'd rather die up here than live a thousand more years down in Azeroth. My entire life has been up here for longer than I can count; there's nothing for me down there. And before you say "my family" or some shit like that, I don't bother them for help, so they shouldn't figure I need to visit; I ask for nothing from them, and they seem to ask nothing of me. I like it that way."

Colin lowered his head under the scorching gaze of Shadowmoon, "Well, for what it's worth, Kyra is my mate, and you're her sister. As far as I'm concerned, you're family to me."

"Oh, fuck off," Shadowmoon scowled, "I've never had a 'family' to begin with; I was always cast aside, forced to forge alone, by myself. I'm my own family- some of us don't have the luxury of being born to one and then just screwing their way into others whenever they like."

Though she was heated, she knew this man enough to know that he would retort, at most, in kind, though he'd more likely reply with some diffusing comment, though that never came. She stared in his direction, but her eyes softened with every moment that his silence grew, even her eyes started to dim as she came to the realization that she had said something she shouldn't have.

Slowly, achingly, Colin's voice awoke, "I'm not going to pretend to know you, or your life, but I do know what it's like to be truly alone and helpless."

He stared into the darkness toward those eyes, "I know what it's like to watch the only family you've known being slaughtered in front of you, their necks slashed, giving them just enough life left to exert it all on a vain attempt at crawling toward you to protect you."

"And to your second point," he continued, "Your sister is the sun and moon to me; I would appreciate if you didn't dilute that down to something so cheap. I've come to know Elune, but trust me, I've cursed in her face and defied her, nearly to my own demise, for your sister."

Shadowmoon watched him with a curious sort of defiance, herself, at his manner of speaking toward her goddess, "Then you truly don't even come close to-"

Her eyes shrunk, quickly, as another pair of lights suddenly shone across from her, faintly, another assortment of starlit grooves forming into the shape of a delicate-looking hand that was as pale-lit white as the moon. Her mind was in awe, but her eyes remained sharp, not wanting to give her astonishment away as Colin spoke up again, coolly.

"I lost two parents, but I gained two moons in their place, and I'm not, for a second, going to let anybody-"

*THUNK*

Suddenly, both their heads shot upward toward the ceiling at the massive bang that almost shook the room they were in. Colin felt himself returning to darkness as his cheek faded back into nothingness, though he barely even noticed in his fright. The two of them remained still, simply watching the wooden planks above them, but another crash tore down the walls so hard that even the ground shook.

*THUNK*

Accompanied, that time, by the cracking of wood, Colin thought the roof might collapse in. He turned to Shadowmoon, whose eyes scurried left and right as the sound of various objects being rustled implied she was collecting her things. He heard the whoosh of fabric as her eyes blinked like twilight as she tied her woolen cloak around her body, carefully approaching the far-end of the prison cell.

Colin did the same, slowly backing away from the giant noises, another *THUNK* ripping through the ceiling above. His eyes watched as another crash ripped through the wood above, a gigantic tree-like object tearing down the roof and stopping as it was hung in mid air, slowly pulling itself back up and through the new hole in the ceiling. Colin's panic turned to confusion as the tree trunk of an object seemed to have been carved with the image of some sort of animal.

Suddenly, as the cylindrical object finally disappeared, a blood elf appeared, squeezing through and falling to the ground, quickly rushing to his feet and running toward Syheath's prison. With the hole in the ceiling, light now made its way into the basement, giving Colin a confused look at the scene before home.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," the blood elf spoke up with a haughty air, almost chuckling as he did, "Boss man wouldn't sleep until we had a plan and everything in place."

Shadowmoon's voice was still even as she approached the bars, reaching out to help him pick the lock, "I just figured he owed me for all the times I saved his reckless ass."

"Only partly," came another voice as a human fell through the ceiling, grinning smugly from ear to ear as he dropped to his feet, "We just can't leave our star be; your talents would be wasted here!"

The human sauntered over toward the two, reaching down at Shadowmoon's belongings that she'd collected by the bars, walking quickly back to the hole and tossing everything above, "Kota and Rem are up there keeping an eye out. I'd like to say it was difficult, but I'm a bit surprised that Deegan basically let us waltz in. I'm not at all forgetting the chance of falling into a trap, of course."

The man turned to give a cursory glance at Colin, smiling gloomly, "Sorry buddy; this may the last train out of here, but we're short on seats."

Shadowmoon peeked over the blood elf's shoulder at him, faintly giving off a frown before returning to the lock, the man outside cursing under his breath in some unheard of dialect to Colin. Finally, with a soft crunch, the lock slipped free, allowing Shadowmoon to push her way out into the hallway.

"Aranal!" the blood elf exclaimed gleefully, jumping away as the door swung open at Shadowmoon's movement, her cloak covering most of her body.

The two rushed over toward the human, who gave a signal toward the two up top, the large wooden cylinder carefully lowering down so as to lift them back up. Shadowmoon watched the totem lower itself down, quickly turning her head back toward Colin, catching her first real glimpse at him. He hadn't drawn himself anywhere in his sketchbook, she'd noticed, so now, she finally saw him, though he only stared back with a sort of helpless curiosity.

She sighed, grabbing ahold of the human's shoulder, reluctantly, "He's coming with."

He turned to her, confused, before looking at Colin, "What? Why?"

"The fuck should I know," Shadowmoon groaned, pulling the man back, "Just- Trust me on this one."

The man's eyes critiqued her face for a moment, the blood elf staring up at the two, awaiting instruction, which came with the human snapping a finger, distastefully, "Parv, go get him."

The blood elf rushed back toward Colin's cell door, obviously annoyed, as the human stared seriously at Shadowmoon, evenly, "He's your responsibility then. We've got you once; if he keeps you, we're not coming for you again."

"Understood," Shadowmoon nodded cooly, rushing back toward the blood elf to help on the lock, though Colin had already taken the two pins and was almost done with the work.

Impressed, the blood elf simply watched as the lock churned open, Colin bending down quickly to wrap his satchel around his shoulder, earning a praise from the blood elf, "Wow."

Colin grinned, turning to the other human with a sort of measured cocksureness, "You'll find that I'm full of surprises."

Slightly upset at the newcomer, the man sighed unenthusiastically as he grasped onto the large totem, which then pulled him up to the next floor. Shadowmoon went next, Colin surmised, so as to not stoke any thoughts of the two having colluded on anything, leaving Colin with the blood elf for a moment.

"Parvaen," the elf introduced.

"Colin."

"That was some slick work back there," Parvaen nodded, admiringly, "If I may surmise, you're a thief?"

"Eh, just an adventurer," Colin corrected, amused, "Just one with a knack for getting into situations like this."

Parvaen nodded, his admiration having lessened somewhat, though he allowed Colin up next, so as to watch for anything suspicious. As he was lifted up, Colin was met with the massive body of a tauren, whose eyes watched him suspiciously, apparently already having been told of the inclusion. Colin did his best to show a disarmed smile, though it didn't seem to do much for the tauren's opinion.

As he stood on his own, the human immediately grabbed his wrist, nearly tearing it from the socket as he yanking Colin over, pulling his wrists together and tying them up behind his back with a low grumble, "I'm not exactly enthused at the idea of you tagging along, but my trust in her only goes so deep."

"Understood," Colin replied through seething teeth at the pain from being pulled over so forcefully.

He saw a draenei over by a door, kneeling down, working atop of some strange device with a delicate hand as Parvaen was lifted up into the room. In the corner was a desk, with the hand of the guard just barely resting atop the desk after his body had been catapulted into the wall beside it, leaving Colin with a sick sense in the pit of his stomach.

The device clicked and clacked as the draenei tinkered with it, finally exclaiming proudly as he stuffed it against the door, hurrying away before the handle of the door exploded, "Fire in the hole!"

The others had braced themselves and recovered, with the human grabbing Colin shoulders and directed him forward, "Sorry; if we get ambushed, I'd rather you die over one of my men."

Colin understood, but still sighed reluctantly as the man pushed him into the smoke, forcing him through the now-open doorway and into the next room, a rather large one in comparison to the last, but Colin immediately flinched as a sword swung toward him, as if, indeed, in ambush, one pair of hands grabbing him while another forced the other human away, a steel blade at his throat as Shadowmoon and the others froze in horror at the sight, weapons at the ready.

While Colin hated that prison below, at least he needn't fear for his life as he did, now, with a sword upon his throat, met in a stand off.


	23. A Game of Waiting

**_A/N: I apologize for neglecting this story! Last time I worked on it, I blasted through quite a bit of stuff, and then hit a sort of snag in the story- I knew where I was, and how I want it to end, but getting those points connected? I had little idea. Luckily, I have a rough outline and sort of have an idea of the rest of the story! That doesn't really mean much (if you could see the outline that I first conjured up at the beginning of this whole mess, it's not even reminiscent of what I've written), but I think I have a clear path to the ending, which, to offer some sort of hype, I hope it's as awesome for the readers as it is for me, in my mind xD_**

 ** _Anyway, point two: November is NaNoWriMo, and I will be working on a novel of my own original fiction most of the time! You can catch it on my 'FictionPress') So, my apologies, but it will be another while for me to update this story again :( I hate to leave you all hanging (there are two readers in particular that I hate to have to let down for a bit), but if I may humbly offer my Overwatch stories in replacement, I think 'Lacroix' in particular has turned out to be better than most of what I've written in this series xD It_ has _been hailed as "glorious", due to the sex and the blood, so if that won't sell it, I don't know what will xD_**

 ** _If I can complete this little arc of this story, I certainly will, so as to not pause on a cliffhanger! Happy reading :)_**

* * *

The arms around Colin forced him forward, nearly off his balance, before landing into Kyra's body, the soldier whipping her body in front of him as she drew her sword alongside Vylira's, the elder sister staring seriously at the motley crew before them, her eyes narrowed in critique.

"This one's ours," Kyra confirmed, roughly.

Ulrich shrugged, "Fine by me. Though I believe you owe us something for getting his ass out of there. If it wasn't for the good graces of-"

"We cleared a whole path out of here for you!" Vylira shot, still with her arm outstretched, "I'd say that's payment enough."

The two of them locked eyes as if sizing up the other, Ulrich's eyes particularly vicious looking, like an animal trapped in a corner. Colin noticed Shadowmoon hiding behind the draenei, pulling her cloak further over her head, probably not wanting to cause a scene, which he respected. Finally, Ulrich reached up, grabbing ahold of Vylira's sword before pushing it to the side, grunting.

"Come on," he spoke, gravely, waving his group along, "We've got what we came for. Shadowmoon, watch our sides; I don't trust these two as far as I can-"

He paused, his eyes just catching Vylira's surprised expression as he passed her, rushing to grasp his dagger before spinning backward, grasping her arms and pulling her down against his steel before she could react, a snarl escaping his lips, "How do you know her?!"

Vylira was too frustrated to speak as she was held as a hostage, though Kyra was quick to react as she held her sword up, staring maliciously toward Ulrich while keeping her sword at an even distance with the rest of his group. Colin was turned toward Kyra, away from the others, a groan escaping him as he shut his eyes, speaking as best he could without moving his lips to Kyra, not wanting to tip off that he was doing so.

"You're not her sister," he whispered, "Make something up."

Without making a face, Kyra's mind bored inward, wondering what the hell her sister had gotten herself into, though before she could come up with something, Ulrich wrangled Vylira further, digging his knife into her neck, "HOW?!"

"For god sake, knock it off," Vylira groaned, as if being a prisoner was rather trivial, "She's-"

"He's an artist," Shadowmoon muttered, annoyingly, "Who I admire greatly. That's why I had you get him out as well."

Ulrich's eyes fluttered from side to side, suspiciously, as Kyra nodded, "Yes; that's why we came. We're his bodyguards."

As Ulrich continued his standoff, Shadowmoon groaned, suddenly making her way toward Colin, ripping his satchel from around his shoulder and quickly grabbing the sketchbook from inside, tossing it to Ulrich, who caught it expertly without relinquishing control of Vylira, "Should be a lot of Teldrassil in there. That's most of his work; that's why I like it."

Ulrich dropped the pages as he held up the book with one hand, indeed, finding what looked like images of Teldrassil, his voice softening as he questioned, "Then why didn't you say-"

Shadowmoon scoffed, pointing a thumb over her shoulder, "And let them have ammunition to tease me with?"

The draenei chuckled, "Good point."

Ulrich gave a final stare toward Kyra before letting Vylira go, the soldier quickly bouncing away, glaring back toward the man as she returned to her group, "Some manners would be nice."

"Manners get you killed up here," Ulrich muttered, waving again for his group, "Let's go; we've spent far too much time as it."

The other band of intruders quickly made their way along, each one giving the three of them various stares of either curiosity or anger, particularly the blood elf, who sneered at Kyra while giving her a rude hand gesture, which must have been offensive only in Sin'dorei culture, before rushing off along with the others. Vylira rolled her eyes, massaging her neck as the three took in their situation.

"I ought to have carved his face off for taking a Silverwing hostage," she sneered, angrily.

Colin eyed her, "You seemed oddly comfortable with playing the role, to say the least."

Kyra offered a hushed laugh as Vylira's expression dropped, "I had a rough go when I first became a Sentinel, okay? Sue me. Now are we getting out of here? We have your mate; no point staying, right?"

The three made their way out the way the sisters had come, though not too hastily, as they had made much less of a commotion than the other group. With two Silverwings, Colin found, stealth was key, whereas, even in his limited interaction with Shadowmoon's party, explosives seemed far more explicitly used.

"Where _is_ "here", anyway?" Colin asked, quietly, keeping in line with the two in front of him, Kyra answering quickly as they all filed into a small armaments room.

"Westguard Keep," she spoke, begrudgingly, "We had to trail you two for three days. I'd like to say it was an advantage to still remain heading northward, but this wasn't exactly what I was expecting."

Colin frowned, "Yeah, I think I'd prefer to remain under the radar. You two are much better company than the others, in that case."

"Yeah, what the hell was up with that earlier?" Vylira questioned, nearly stopping in her tracks as she turned her head around, "That whole thing with Syheath? I mean, Kyra needs to work on her swiftness of mind, but what, are we not good enough for her?"

Colin shrugged with a sigh, "I don't know, but she didn't seem interested in revealing much. She used the excuse of protecting herself, but I've been wondering whether or not it was to protect us, more."

"What do you mean?" Kyra asked.

"Well, the one guy, what, their leader? he seemed pretty crazy; who knows what he might have done if such sensitive information came about?" Colin opined, curiously, "I don't know, but she would know them best, and even she seemed more quick to shifting identities."

"Yes, indeed, Mr. Artist," Vylira teased with a wry grin, waving Colin off dismissively, "What all did you two talk about if you were willing to let her look through your book?"

He shrugged, "Nothing really. She seemed more callous than anything, like she had a fight to pick or something."

Kyra groaned, "She's always been like that; very, very rebellious for some reason. Why else would she have come all the way up here to this insane land?"

Colin thought to himself, wondering whether or not these two were truly so blind as they were letting on, though it came to him that they probably hadn't even spent that much time with Syheath, at least when it came to night elf time-scales. Then again, these two were far more rigid in comparison; be it alongside their parents, and later on, the military, they always had had a place to call home- something that seemed lacking for the middle of the two.

At that final thought, Colin could only stifle a chuckle, Kyra's serious face whipping around, "W-What?!"

"Nothing," Colin answered, grinning, "Just the idea of the younger sister lecturing the older of the two, that's all."

Vylira laughed, giving her own look, "You know, you've got something there. How many lectures have you given _me_?!"

Groaning, Kyra buried her head into an open palm, her head shaking in disapproval, "If you quit doing such childish things, both of you, I'd stop-"

"She lectures you, right?" Vylira interrupted, leaning over her sister to look at Colin.

He smirked, "A few times."

Kyra suddenly shot a stare to him, unamused at the thought of her mate selling her out in some way, though she only sighed, crossing her arms, as she merely accepted her fate in this discussion, shaking her head in dissatisfaction.

* * *

Vylira held her back against the wall beside the window, only gently pulling the curtain away to peer outside, eyeing the collection of guards that were making their way across the lanes of the settlement. She wore a crooked frown as she dropped the curtain, her head falling backward against the wall as she groaned.

"Still out there?" Kyra asked, sheathing her sword as she placed her sharpening stone down beside her.

The elder sister nodded silently, lowering her head to look at the other two as she frowned in thought. Colin had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, tracing his fingers along his opposing hand, slowly, while Kyra sat on the opposite end, lowering her sword to the ground. The two had procured a room at the inn for the very purpose of having a hiding spot once having reclaimed Colin, and here they were, though they hadn't accounted for the tenacity of the guards in the ensuing aftermath.

"They're serious," Vylira noted, more to herself, "Those guys must have really screwed that Deegan guy over. I haven't seen any of them take a shift off."

Kyra sighed, frowning as she lowered her head, attempting to accept the situation. Her eyes suddenly caught what Colin was doing, his finger still running along his other palm as he focused, seriously, muttering some words to himself. She leaned over to get a better look, causing his head to quickly rise up to watch her, his face spreading out a grin as he returned to what he was doing.

"Yes?" he asked, innocently.

Kyra shrugged, "Just seeing what you were doing is all. Normally you'd take this time to take stock or draw or something."

Colin chuckled, "Well, I'm sort of drawing with my finger, aren't I?"

Vylira's voice broke the air, sarcastically, "We may have already lost him, sister."

He only scoffed with a smirk, lowering his hand for Kyra to see, "I'm trying to follow the meridians in my hand. They're like, uh, channels of energy in your body; that's how we mages usually go about our work. Though, I'm sort of working off a foreign concept of it; my body _is_ different than, say, a dwarf or night elf."

Vylira's ear quivered as he finished, catching his last two words before her narrowed eyes peered at him from across the room, curiously, as Colin went on, "So when I split out some flame-"

He curled his fingers together before jerking them apart, instantly, a fireball jumping into the air before popping into sparks that burned out above them, Colin's lips curling into a smile, "Basically I'm honing my magical abilities."

Kyra nodded, "I see. I'm only vaguely familiar with druidic magic; and that all is so different than all that. Mages are so inward, but druids allow the natural world to fuel their magic."

Colin nodded slowly, speaking quietly, "Interesting."

He lowered his head as he brought his sketch pad over into his lap, writing down what seemed to be notes, though Vylira didn't mention anything as she peeked back out of the windows, thinking quietly as her eyes stared out into the settlement.

"So what's next?" she spoke up, her eyes turning back toward the others.

Colin looked up at her, then toward Kyra, who remained silent as she stared back at him, Colin's face quickly shifting from one to the other, "W-Wait, me?"

Kyra shrugged, "This is your excursion, is it not? I go where you go; if you took me into a dragon's nest, I would follow and fight to my death alongside you. So, ultimately, its up to you where we go from here."

Colin's eyes slowly followed down the length of her seated body, nary finding a tremble as she spoke, his face quickly shifting toward Vylira across the room, though she simply shrugged, "I'd drag both your asses back to Teldrassil if you had such delusions as entering such a nest; I'm not romantic enough to chase death, you know."

The others grinned amusedly as Vylira shook her head, making her way across the room toward them, "But I said I would keep you two alive, so to do that, I guess I'm going wherever you two go. And if Kyra's putting you in charge, well, you guide the hand of a Silverwing. Be proud."

She'd finished with such a bland air that Colin could only grin back at her before sighed, scratching his cheek as he began, "Okay, well, we can't go anywhere with Deegan's men crawling around, so we sit tight, here, until then. Once we can leave, we head up to Wintergarde, then enter into the Blight toward Wyrmrest."

"Sounds easy enough," Vylira opined, dryly.

Kyra's eyes dropped, drolly, as they met with Colin's, "If only the two of us could assure that to be the case…"

Colin groaned, "Exactly. For one, what do we do about-"

"Nothing," Kyra shot back, immediately, earning stares from both of the others, "She's content up here to wile around with these people; if that's good enough for me, as it should be for you two."

"Or, uh, here's a though," Vylira retorted, pithily, "How about, that's our sister, and we make sure we mend whatever it is that has her not bothering to even return home? Obviously there's a disconnect; if we can make it right, why not?"

Kyra shook her head, "You honestly think she's going to just sit and-"

"Colin obviously got to her," Vylira interrupted, pointing toward the human who suddenly froze at being brought into the argument, "She's not some emotionless breath of wind, Kyra; she has just as much- hell, I was actually old enough to know her; she probably has more emotions swirling around in there than any of us. It's my job as a sister to-"

"It was _her_ job as a sister not to worry her siblings, _and_ her job as a daughter not to worry her parents the way she has!" Kyra shouted back.

Vylira sighed, rubbing her face, continuing where she was cut off, "It's _my_ job as a sister, the eldest, mind you, to make sure all of you little devils stay in line. You may have run the straight and narrow path, and I couldn't be more proud of that; you followed in my footsteps, after all. But that means you are not the one I need to look after. Whatever that girl is going through -and hell, maybe she _isn't_ even going through anything!- I need to be there for her, especially with her being so foreign."

Disagreeing, Kyra shook her head, "I, for one, didn't come here to look after anybody that didn't want me doing so. As far as I'm concerned, she's an anomaly on this trip; we didn't plan for her, and should go on as if that's the case."

"Look at you," Vylira replied, laughing lightly, "You wanted to lead a squad once upon a time; how could you ever look after soldiers if you can't even look after your own sister?"

Kyra eyed her sister critically, unable to reply. Her teeth clenched angrily behind her lips, both of them trembling as she pressed them into each other as tight as she could. Her brow furrowed, dipping low as she quietly kept her eyes at her sister's, Vylira's face far more even keeled as she twisted her lips, turning up toward Colin.

"Sadly for us, neither of us has a say in this," she muttered, subjectively, "We began this conversation with Colin leading us, and as far as I'm concerned that that's the case."

Kyra's whipped around as she watched Colin's surprised face, he, again, not wanting this sort of attention, though Kyra took on an unamused expression, as if presupposing her mate's agreeing with her. However, her face quickly turned sour as he began.

"I just think that Vylira-"

"Seriously?!" Kyra interrupted, rising to her feet, "You have even less to care about her than I do!"

Colin sighed, "Look, I spent enough time in that prison with her. Sure, she rough and somewhat brutish, but I know she's a good person. A person who still loves her family; just something got caught in the middle. I mean, when you lose your family, I-"

He paused, his face turning sad, Kyra's following in suit, empathetically, as he went on, "Family is something you don't get back, you know?"

Kyra sighed, turning to stare out the window, "It's your choice. Where you go, _I_ go."

"Good thing, too," Vylira winked, "I'm not bound by such things; had you both disagreed, I could have easily cut this threesome short."

Turning her head toward her sister, Kyra sarcastically rolled her head around her shoulders before shaking her head, walking over toward the window where Vylira had once surveyed the township from, possibly hoping for the ability to move on as she barely pulled the curtains apart. Colin lowered his head, sadly, at seeing Kyra in such a state, but Vylira reassuringly knocked her knee against the bed to get his attention, smiling down at him.

"She'll see that it's as you say," she confirmed, gravely, "Maybe not soon, but one day. I've seen enough women die under my care; I don't intend to see another."

Colin nodded, shoving his sketchbook to the side, giving up on his note jotting, "True."

Kyra's head just barely tilted to the side, her body still frozen as she peered out the window. Vylira quickly noticed her movement, swiftly approaching her side as Colin took to his feet to follow along, knowing this to potentially be ominous of bad news. Sure enough, as he approached the window, he noticed what the sisters had noticed, his body running cold as the guards dashed up the streets toward the center of town to view the show.

That of Deegan Poore, grinning ear to ear, a massive battle-axe in one hand, and the struggling body of a large tauren, dragged easily behind him, toward a rectangular stone set up at the city's square.

"Oh no…" Colin managed, barely, "That's Syheath's companion."


	24. The Wrath of Deegan Poore

**_A/N: New expansion news at Blizzcon. Apparently Teldrassil gets burnt down or something, so I may just be throwing in the towel when it comes to WoW xD Never fear- I will continue to live out adventures in writing! Where nothing has to break my heart after ten years of being my home away from home! :D_**

* * *

Deegan's breath escaped him with a humid snarl as he tried concealing his panting, furiously dragging a massive tauren behind him with a smirk on his face. He stomped toward a block in the center of the keep, used for executions, as he noticed his guards rushing over to see what had happened. He paused for a moment, dropping the tauren to the ground as he lifted his grandiose battle-axe into the air, laughing.

"We go one of 'em, boys!" he shouted, happily, violently shoving a giant boot into the tauren's side, causing the helpless being to roll over in pain, "Now I know how to attract rats, but these vermin are an odd bunch. Though, I think I know how to bring them out of the woodwork…"

After recovering his breath, Deegan lowered himself to grasp ahold of the tauren once more, continuing to drag his body along the dirt, "Men! I want you surrounding this perimeter! If anybody even tries to halt this business dealing, I want them killed, got it?"

"Yes!" ""Yes, sir!" came from various guards, taking their positions while also keeping an interest in the Horde body being trailed through the mud.

* * *

Vylira leaned over the railing of a wooden balcony that was attached to the inn the three had been hiding in, Kyra and Colin both arriving soon after. Their eyes watching, seriously, looking out less for the tauren than for Syheath, having heard Deegan Poore's massive proclamation.

"You think they'd be stupid enough to try and save him?" Colin wondered aloud.

Kyra nodded, "No doubt in my mind. They seem like a tight-knit bunch if they were willing to break into the man's prison just to rescue somebody there. He must be putting on this show wanting them to try and do so."

Colin's lips fell into a frown as he looked around the opposite end of the settlement, watching particularly for other balconies or walkways that were obscured by being up a story or two along buildings. He suddenly noticed that human from before, an unmistakeable sight due to his thick beard.

"There!" Colin spoke up, pointing toward him.

The sisters followed his finger, watching as the man worriedly held his hand at his chin, pacing back and forth, nervously, as he looked on, watching as Deegan barely struggled to drag his companion across the ground.

"Certainly seems like he's thinking of something," Vylira muttered, quietly.

Colin turned toward them, "Well- If they do, do we help them?"

Kyra eyed him, drolly, "You know how I feel about that. It isn't our fight."

The two suddenly turned toward Vylira as she shed her traveling cloak, revealing her darkly ornate armor, not bothering to turn back toward them as she spoke up, "I don't give a damn about whose fight it is. If I see Syheath, I'm protecting her."

Kyra sighed, shaking her head as she returned to watching Deegan's movement, the gigantic brute of a man arriving at the stone, dropping the tauren atop the wide piece and adjusting him so that his head and body were on either side, leaving his wide neck exposed along the rock. Colin could feel his skin crawl at the sight, his breath shaking as his heart began to race, thinking of Vylira hopping right off this balcony and into the fray.

Suddenly, his eyes jumped back up to where the man had been, finding nothing there, now. Colin bit his lip, watching the scene intently now as Deegan began to shout.

"ALRIGHT! You vermin; come on out! If you don't, you know what's going to happen to this beast!" the man shouted, almost happily.

The tauren shook his head, "You're wasting your time, human."

Deegan gave a quick stomp to the tauren's back, shaking his head, disappointed, "Shut up. I've had enough of you and your friends trying everything to get me deposed; this has been a long time coming."

"Such a proud man," the tauren began to mock, "Yet you needed men who play with sticks to help get rid of us."

Deegan snarled, kicking at him again, angrily, "You're just making this execution that much sweeter just thinking about shutting that mouth up once and for all."

He swung the enormous axe up into the air, having it land upon his shoulder before taking its handle with both hands, spreading his legs as he prepared for the task, taking another look around before preparing to bring the weapon into the air.

Colin's hands wrapped tighter around the railing of the balcony, his eyes glaring onward as he jumped in surprise at Vylira's sudden outburst, "There she is- melded into the shadows between those two buildings! Surely she's not going to do this by herself!"

Vylira's muscles tightened, though she refrained from joining for now. Despite the idiocy of trying to stop this execution, she was sure there was at least some plan in place, her eyes carefully continuing to scan the landscape as she tried piecing the puzzle together. As she stared, Deegan's grip tightened around the handle of his wieldy axe, pulling it over atop his head, grinning wildly as he finally shouted.

"LAST CHANCE!" he cried, almost having to hide a maniacal laugh, as he furiously brought his hands down toward the stone.

* * *

Not two feet along its arc, the axe suddenly halted in mid-air, Deegan's momentum nearly knocking himself to the ground as he desperately held onto the axe above his head. He angrily shot his head up toward his weapon, feeling the rope that had wrapped around _its_ head before having to see it. He angrily sneered as he followed the frayed line up toward a nearby balcony where two elves stood atop its banister, the blood elf seriously stretching his knuckles while the other remained clad in a pelt, crouched so low as to appear that she hadn't any legs to begin with along the thin bean of wood.

Deegan blew hot air in a snort as he waved his guards forward, "What are you WAITING for?!"

His guards hurried along, following his orders despite the awe they'd felt from their master's wishes being undermined by two small beings, as Deegan turned toward the tauren, his face steaming as he let go of the axe, leaving it to fall onto the ground where the rope slid it along for a moment, "I will kill you this day, tauren. If it isn't the last thing I do before the rest of your pack gets away."

Tandkota eyed him from below, "You spent so much time preparing for us to run-"

In a split second, Deegan was upended by Remnaar and Ulric, the two men tackling the giant of a man at the same time, taking him to the ground, leaving Ulric to jump up to his face and began punching him, Deegan's bones coming back at him like concrete. The giant wildly threw his arms around until grasping at Ulric's neck, choking him as he violently pulled hi down into the hard ground, leaving him dazed.

Deegan immediately pulled his body up to find Remnaar dashing away, his eyes following the draenei curiously. Suddenly, a soft clicking crossed the air, coming from within his armor. He quickly reached for his legs, trying to shove his hands in between slits, but they were too massive to fit, leaving nothing but a loud explosion coming from within his armor, alongside a muffled cry from the man himself.

Ulric had rolled away and returned to his feet, slightly disoriented as he looked toward the throng of guards which had stopped their advance to stare back at their captain in horror, leaving Parvaen and Shadowmoon alone atop the balcony. The blood elf skillfully tugged along the rope that had run along toward the center of the town square, around Deegan's axe, the other end of the long rope having been tied atop the same balcony he was on. He rushed to the other side of the balcony, looping it around a post as a fulcrum before tossing the weighted end to Shadowmoon, who tied it around her, just before making a mad dash along the rooftops.

The guards, unaware, were standing right in the middle of the trap. The axe weighing the rope down, Shadowmoon's speedy movement brought the looping rope toward the collection of guards, suddenly catching them and knocking them over toward the building, the lot of them toppling over in their heavy equipment, right into each other.

Parvaen gave a cocky grin as he leapt from the balcony, his feet falling right onto a guard's head as he happily hopped from one to the other, sing-songingly going on, "Bet-ter you than me~!"

Shadowmoon cut her line as she stood atop a roof, watching the ground where Ulric and Remnaar were struggling to help Tandkota away, the tauren having been done a number on before the potential execution. The massive being could help but laugh as Ulric, especially, grunted along with every step.

"For Thrall's sake, would ya lose a few pounds, man!" Ulric cried out, weakly.

Tandkota chuckled, which only caused the two beneath his shoulders to have to stop and hold their balance to keep from falling over, "You tell me to be a healthy tauren to keep up with you, and now look where we are."

Remnaar, too, began to struggle as he laughed along, "We should have had Parv take the bait; he's a Hordish man himself."

Ulric grumbled, "Yeah, but Deegan may not have made such a show of a measly being."

He eyed his two companions, "I didn't say that. Now let's get a move on."

Ulric and Remnaar continued, far slower than any of them had anticipated, not having accounted for such a load. Ulric worriedly checked over his shoulder, finding nothing but a shoulder of fur, and went on, eyes closed, praying that nothing would hinder their-

"HEY!" came the voice of Shadowmoon, which forced both Ulric and Remnaar to drop Tandkota to the ground as they spun around, horrified.

Deegan's body had returned to its feet, and seemingly gaining on the three of them. Horrified, Ulric looked on as Deegan's body, mutilated from the waist down, turned around to the approaching Shadowmoon, the night elf walking up to him in order to stop his advance. Ulric grimaced as Shadowmoon eyed him, jerking her neck to tell him to go on, though he paused, suddenly unsure of what to do.

"Ulric!" Remnaar shouted, breaking his silence, "What do we do?!"

Suddenly, Ulric noticed the group of guards beginning to find their way to their feet, the guards already having stood now helping others to their feet. He eyed Remnaar for a moment before returning to Shadowmoon, noticing Parvaen was similarly unsure of what to do as the blood elf remained in place, terrified by Shadowmoon's adversary.

"Watch Kota!" Ulric ordered as he immediately shed his backpack, lightening his load, before making a mad dash back toward Deegan Poore and Shadowmoon.

Remnaar groaned, looking down at the injured tauren, who only shook his head in dismay, "Very disrespectful. Go on; I can look after myself, thank you."

Grinning, Remnaar gave him an appreciative nudge with his hoof, the body part being a rather symbolic gesture of partnership for the two of them, "Stay safe, my friend! I shall return!"

The draenei immediately dashed off himself as Tandkota sighed, sadly, "All the fun…"

* * *

Shadowmoon glared up toward Deegan's seething teeth as he stumbled ahead, the skin of his legs torn and ripped to shreds, dangling back and forth as he stepped forward, fists clenched as fury glowed in his eyes. Shadowmoon jumped into a fighting stance as she whipped out her two father's, though Deegan only growled in amusement as he fell forward, stopping his fall as his hands shoved into the earth below, steadying himself with a knee and yanking his hands back into the air, clutching two fistfuls of rock and dirt, shaking his head.

"You…have…no…idea…" he heaved, exhausted, as if his anger itself was draining his energy.

He winded up his punch as Shadowmoon readied herself to defend, a vigorous shout escaping his mouth as he threw his fist forward, when suddenly, a bright red lasso caught his arm, yanking it backward, at least as best as it could. More so than restraining him, the lasso seemed to singe his skin, causing him to miss his blow as his cry of anger turned into one of pain. He quickly waved off the ball of earth on one hand to soothe his arm, which seemed nearly charred as the lasso evaporated into the air.

He threw his head to the side to see a man walking toward him, his hands held out as they seemed to wrangle an unruly line of red rope, his face serious as he walked over to where Shadowmoon stood, pausing as she turned toward him, surprised, "Colin?!"

He could only cock a swift grin as he dropped the glowing red whip, which immediately blew into a cloud of steam, shrugging, "Figured you could use some help."

He pointed over his shoulder, directing Shadowmoon toward Vylira and Kyra, who were positioning themselves between them and the collection of guards, prepared to hold them back, when she also noticed Parvaen coming to his senses, running over to assist the two in some primal sense of comradery.

"Fools, all of you!" Deegan shouted, shaking his head with a steaming snort, "You're only enjoying the last few seconds of your miserable existence!"

He quickly swung at the two, though Shadowmoon skillfully hopped up into the air while Colin waved his arm through the air, blowing a blast of charred air in Deegan's face, knocking him back, his body leaning backward as his face rose to the air as he clawed at his burning skin. Shadowmoon landed with a massive blast onto his face, knocking his body to the ground as she rolled away, steadying herself as she remained crouched low to the ground, peering over to find Ulric, and further beyond, Remnaar, rushing over to help.

As he laid on the ground, Deegan's frayed hair covered his now-blackened face as he turned toward Shadowmoon, conjuring up whatever sinister scheme that he could. Suddenly, he rolled onto his stomach, jumping into the air toward Shadowmoon, catching her in surprise. Colin immediately dashed after him, charging whatever balls of flame he could to toss at him mid-stride, but as Shadowmoon darted backwards, Deegan followed just as quickly in his maniacal state, simply cranking along like an enraged bull.

Finally, Shadowmoon carelessly darted back into a building, the shock of her body hitting the solid wall jarring her enough to faze her as Deegan leapt at her wildly, grinning ear to ear as he threw an open hand into her face, grasping onto her skull as he ripped her from the wall and turned around, finding Colin and Ulric now in pursuit.

The two men slid to a stop as Deegan chuckled, standing there with Shadowmoon's still body hanging from his hand as if she were a hostage, Ulric speaking lowly to Colin as he carefully ran his eyes up Deegan's arm, "He's desperate. He won't do much else to harm her, otherwise he has nothing to barter with in exchange for escape."

Deegan scoffed, "You seriously think you have the upper hand? Boy, you tried blowing my goddamn legs off and I'm still standing; you've got nothing."

"And you've got the last person you should ever choose to have in your hand," Colin spoke gravely, rubbing the palms of his hands together, slowly, almost calculatingly so.

Even Ulric found his words to be slightly odd, though he remained cautious while Deegan began to laugh, stopping immediately upon noticing Remnaar approaching the group, pointing toward Ulric, demanding, "Tell him to stop!"

Ulric eyed him for a moment before waving Remnaar off, though the draenei had already slowed once he had noticed Shadowmoon's limp body. Deegan sneered as he looked over his shoulder as if to look for an escape, having noticed his guards quickly falling to the ground as they met their match in Parvaen and two Silverwings.

Suddenly, Colin pulled his hands apart, throwing them both in Deegan's direction, two massive bursts of flame materializing between them before spurting giant licks of flame that covered Deegan's body, save for his arms. He cried out as he began flailing about, using his free hand to try and pat the flames down, leaving his other hand over Shadowmoon's face.

Ulric then quickly grabbed two daggers of his own, tossing them in Shadowmoon's direction as she sprung to life, grappling the sharp weapons and shoving them deep into Deegan's arms as he continued holding her, his cries growing to a bloodcurdling crescendo as Ulrich immediately talked the general, flames and all, knocking him away as he relinquished control of the night elf, the two tingling to the ground as Colin pulled his arms into his body, extinguishing the flames as he looked on, horrified.

Ulrich whipped out how sword as he straddled Deegan's torso. The general's eyes were gone, his sockets nothing but black char, leaving the massive man nothing but a terrified quaking of his body as Ulric ran his sword just barely against his neck, leaning down close to his face so that he could speak in a whisper.

"I win."

And with that, he yanked his sword's edge right across Deegan's neck, flipping his sword in the air as what little blood it had carried with it flung into the air. Deegan's body laid there, lifelessly; his once mighty body now appeared so broken, shriveled, and scorched, leaving him looking like nothing more than a common criminal left at the stake.

Ulric rose to his feet, sighing, as he turned toward Shadowmoon, seeing that she was at her feet as well, Remnaar looking over her face for any injuries. His eyes then met Colin's, his eyes open wide in shock at what he'd seen. He remembered having such innocent eyes himself, though that had been so very long ago for Ulric. He simply made his way back over toward the others, noticing Parvaen hurrying back, the guards done for.

Passing Colin, who remained still as he looked on at the sight of Deegan's corpse, he placed a hand on his shoulder, pausing only to mutter near his ear, "Something you have to get used to up here."

Colin's blood ran cold, his body finally jerking away upon hearing Kyra's voice as she shouted to him, leaving Ulric to rush off toward the others. Kyra immediately took Colin into a hug, though it was unrequited as he was still in a daze, but Kyra was quick to reach an arm up around his head, pulling him down into her shoulder to hide his sight.

Vylira kept an eye on the other party as they quickly were preparing to recover their tauren friend and leave, almost critiquing them through narrow eyes as she caught sight of Syheath, her younger sister's eyes even managing to meet her glance as she pulled her cloak up over her head, her face saddened before disappearing into the dark hood.

Ulric's group quickly began to rush off, though Ulric was slow to follow, himself, slowly turning around, staring at the three behind him, finding Vylira's intense stare, but also Kyra holding Colin against her. He saw her hand atop his head, clutching his hair tightly as if to keep his secure, her eyes allowing only the most gentle stream of tears.

As they held one another, Ulric's lips pulled to the side in though, his absence already catching the attention of his others, who had all stopped to turn and watch what he was up to. He slowly approached Vylira and the other two, crossing his arms as he sighed, unsurely, before speaking.

"You seem like you've been around," he pointed out to Vylira, before turning toward Kyra and Colin, who had patted and had bother turned to face him, though their hands remained together, "You two…obviously are much too unaware to be here. Where you headed?"

Kyra watched him carefully herself, though slowly turned toward Colin, once again relinquishing leadership to him, though he seemed rather apprehensive about it. The first person he turned to was Vylira, who continued staring hard at Ulric as if to get some sort of read on him, though she finally turned her head toward Colin as well, nodding to give her subordination.

Colin stammered a bit in his reply, "I mean, uh-"

"It's the least we could do," Ulric nodded, with a half shrug and a slight grin, "I may be a proud man, but I'm not stupid. I know we'd have been in a much different spot without you three back there. I figure the least we can do is help you get to wherever you're going. Besides. Shadowmoon seems to know you're decent people, and Rem, back there, saw you two back in Valgarde; he knows you're of the respectable sort."

In his mind, it seemed like a chance, albeit incredibly slight of one, at getting these sisters to reconcile, leaving him with nary another option than to accept, though he knew, by Vylira's own advice, not to trust anybody out here, keeping that in mind as he spoke up, "We're going through the Blight to the Borean Tundra. Just for some drawings."

Ulric failed to hold back his laugh as he shook his head, "I'm glad I reserved that 'stupid' title. But hey, a debt is a debt. I'll take you as far as Wintergarde- we don't disturb those ashes, and few do, so once there, you shouldn't have much to worry about."

He quickly eyed Colin's two 'bodyguards', chuckling lightly as he turned around, "My god. You two. Whew."

The Silverwings shared a similarly sarcastic glance at one another as Ulric walked off toward his crew, Syheath shooting the three a devilishly rebellious glare before following along behind her leader. Colin turned to the two beside him, sharing his own look of amusement as he shrugged.

"Well," he muttered aloud, humorously, "I'm raking in the bodyguards!"

Vylira eyed him pithily, rolling her eyes in whatever a fashion night elves might partake, "Don't let it go to your head. And _don't_ take kindness for loyalty. That man will sell you down a river if he needs to."

Colin assured, respectfully, wrapping an arm around Kyra's shoulders, "Don't worry. You're the only two I trust out here."


	25. The Bands Converge

Night fell soon after their escape, leaving both groups with a lot of options in terms of cover, using the darkest forests to hide as they rested for the night, careful not to traverse too closely to the Grizzly Hills. While the group made camp and sat around the fire, Ulrich had gone off on his own to forage for firewood, though he'd stopped after grasping a single log of wood that sat on the ground, contented with returning with an excuse or two.

Instead, he leaned against a tree, staring off into the thick wilderness, peering out beneath the pale moonlight that shined down onto the land before him. His arms crossed each other as the cold air bit at his exposed skin of his arms, his face taking a darker expression as he went over the day's events.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a twig breaking, his lips curving into a grin as he spoke up, quietly, "You're slipping."

"Oh hush," came Shadowmoon's voice as she walked without care now, "The tundra doesn't have any underfoot crap to worry about; I'm not used to this."

"I thought you were from Teldrassil," Ulric quipped, smugly, "Isn't that, like, "Underfoot Central"?"

Shadowmoon glared at him with a stare that he could feel without seeing, causing him to laugh, "What?"

"I said I liked Teldrassil; it doesn't mean I'm from there," she confirmed, with only the slightest bit of unconvincing.

Slyly, Ulric went on, "You're a bad liar. At least with me, anyway."

Shadowmoon went quiet, which only furthered his suspicions, as she would normally fire back in retort. He looked over his shoulder, chuckling as he watched her staring off into the distance, head hanging low beneath her shoulders.

"Fuck," she muttered, finally realizing that in taking so much time, it pretty much implicated her, "Don't say anything."

"I wasn't going to," Ulric shrugged, "I don't know anything about you; none of us do. If you want to keep it that way, that's not my decision. I don't pry; where you're from doesn't concern anybody, as far as I know. I was just prodding."

Shadowmoon nodded, sarcastically, "Sure."

Ulric hummed a laugh as he remained against the tree, "What's up?"

Leading in with a sigh, Shadowmoon spoke up, "Okay, why exactly did you invite those strangers? I've known you for quite some time; never before have you ever been to…open to guests."

"They probably saved our li-"

"Oh, shut up," Shadowmoon interrupted, rather rudely, "You infiltrate entire gangs with only one person, me, to back you up; don't pretend as though you suddenly value help."

Ulric shrugged, looking off into the distance, "You were looking out for them. Why shouldn't I have?"

Shadowmoon immediately held her tongue, staring at the ground in frustration, mostly toward herself. She groaned, clenching her fists as she turned to leave, though Ulric was quick to stop her.

"Come here. You've never seen the Grizzly Hills, have you?"

"No," she answered, slowly following his instruction, "Coming through the first time, you had us rushing to the south in too much of a hurry."

He nodded in agreement, "I suppose I did."

She stood beside him, the two of them now staring off into the distance, the earth beneath them trailing off underneath massive boughs of treetops, a magnificent, hollowed out tree trunk appearing as a massive shadow in the distance. Ulric sighed as they went on, silently, simply taking in the wilderness.

"You know, they describe the fjord as "howling" because of the wolves. I was always told that it was because, if you stood in the right spot, the wind would howl as it blew past you down between those crags of rock," Ulric explained, nostalgically, "For the point I'd like to make, let's say it's the first one- there's a bunch of wolves, alright?"

He paused for a moment, before going on, "If you took at the furbolgs or bears out of the hills here, it wouldn't be anything other than the Grizzly Hills. That's just how powerful Ursoc is."

Shadowmoon now eyed him curiously, not knowing what he was getting at, though he seemed to gather that much as he turned to her with an unsure smile as Shadowmoon asked with an expectant shrug, "So?"

Ulric chuckled, shaking his head, "Nothing, really. All these old gods and stuff; not only does it get pretty complicated along the way, I honestly couldn't care much less. It's interesting though, hearing of their old stories and all. Ursoc was a great and powerful beast; when the trolls up north expanded down here, that all stops at _his_ den, in fact. But life saw that his brother, Ursol, was taken from him; in that, he ended up more powerful than most other beings, but in that, he gave up everything except his seclusion."

Shrugging, Ulric continued, "I don't know; that idea of seclusion frightens me. I think, sometimes, I'd prefer to be Ursol."

Curiously, Shadowmoon turned her head toward him, "You have a death wish?"

"No, no," Ulric laughed, "I don't know. In the face of being alone and pushing everybody away, I think I'd rather not feel anything at all than feel that sting. That's why I travel in a pack, I guess."

Shadowmoon eyed him fiercely, wondering aloud, "You sure you're not coming onto me again?"

Laughing, Ulric shook his head, "Oh, please. It's just- back at Westgard, when I went back to thank those three… So much blood had been shed and in such a dangerous situation, yet I still found those two, the human and one of the women, holding one another as if the world could have split apart, but they wouldn't have. Just reminded me of Ursoc and his brother, and then, my mother and myself, I guess."

He sighed, pulling himself away from the tree as he stood up straight, "But, you know, life happens. Gods still go on living, humans still die regardless. I guess it's rather pointless to think about."

"I don't know," Shadowmoon sighed, "Maybe for humans, sure; I mean, you have so little time. When you're near-immortal, you have time to waste with those questions."

Ulric chuckled, "That mean you've done a number on that kind of thing?"

Shadowmoon rolled her eyes, turning away dismissively, "Hardly."

"I supposed so," Ulric nodded with a wry grin, pulling his single log of firewood up for him to examine, "Well, guess that's enough."

He shrugged to himself, amused, before turning to Shadowmoon, "Come on. And don't worry about them; if you're suspicious, just remember that I've got my eyes on them as well. And I doubt those three will let them get the better of them their selves."

Shadowmoon sighed, waveringly, "Were I so confident…"

* * *

Shadowmoon's face dropped instantly as they returned to camp, hearing the laughter of Parvaen and Remnaar breaking the air. Even Tandkota had managed to crack a smile as Colin spoke up happily, recounting some story, pausing as Ulric and Shadowmoon entered the area around the campfire.

"Well, we're having a good time!" Ulric exclaimed, happily, dropping the single log onto the ground, "Slim pickings otherwise."

Parvaen held his side as he leaned toward him, "Hey captain, you must listen to the rest of this! Colin was just recounting his adventures down in the Brawlpub! A smashing tale, if I may say!"

Ulric nodded as he fell onto a rock to sit, Shadowmoon doing the same, though quite a ways away from the group, carefully watching the three from beneath her cloaked head. She wasn't much apprehensive of their actions as what they might say; granted, Colin seemed to have somewhat of an interest in further concealing her identity, but while Kyra did her best not to return a stare, Vylira was much more interested in her sister's solitude.

"It wasn't much of a big deal after that, honestly," Colin chuckled, "I mean, I had asked for directions, but nobody would tell me about it –I guess there's some "number one rule" about it- so nobody bothered to tell me NOT to go that way. I'm curious by nature, so of course I was prepared to press on."

Parvaen continued laughing heartily, swatting at the air as Tandkota spoke up, amusedly, "So many brought up beneath the Horde banner believe your tram to be nothing more than a rumor. It's always interesting to hear about it- it sounds magnificent, especially for a people as mine. We praise all of nature; to be surrounded by the Earthmother's waters would be incredible."

Colin nodded with a smile, pulling out a sketchbook from his knapsack, "Well…here! I rode it a few times just for the specifics, but it's a pretty authentic recreation of it."

He passed the pad to Ulric, who admired it for a moment with a nod before passing it to Tandkota, the tauren's face remaining solemn in its stillness, though his eyes noticeably lit up behind his deep snout, a gentle hum just barely shaking the ground around camp, "Truly so. Magnificent."

Colin smiled at his words, feeling a warmth within him from another being's ability to glean some sort of emotion from his work, before replying, "Hopefully there will be a time where you can see it, along with all of your people."

Tandkota nodded gently, "Then your optimism is far greater than mine, human."

He snorted out a quiet sigh before slowly grabbing at the edge of the page, eyeing Colin for confirmation, who happily smiled in reply, the tauren's face lighting up at the next image, "M-Mulgore?"

Nodding, Colin answered, "Sure is. An Awaihilo allowed me passage, which was rather easy, considering how peaceful your people are. Granted, I wasn't allowed passage to your Bluff, but I managed a rather breathtaking view of it."

Tandkota sighed deeply as one of his massive fingers gently ran down the page, his memories having been piqued at the sight of home- one he hadn't seen for many years, "You speak Taur-ahe?"

"Very, _very_ little," Colin admitted, chuckling, "I know quite of bit of Orcish and that sort of gets me by enough, though I speak fluent Zandali, so if I stumble across a Horde who can't speak that, I can usually get a troll to help out. Just knowing the language seems to catch enough of your Horde off-guard enough to know I'm not there for trouble."

Parvaen slowly lowered his head as he listened along, thankful that nobody seemed to notice as Ulric had spoken up, "So you're just exploring up here?"

"Pretty much," Colin nodded, reaching over to hold Kyra's hand, "Kyra's actually my mate, so I guess I have an insatiable desire to see everything with her while we can be together."

Kyra was about to scold him silently for revealing too much information, though, in keeping out his "condition", she figured he was being careful enough. She hadn't much wariness for this band of people, but a basic sense of caution, she figured, was rather necessary up here.

At Colin's words, Remnaar was the first to manage a shock, "Mates?! Now that is not something you hear every day!"

Laughing quietly, Colin pulled Kyra toward him, closing the smallest bit of distance between them, "She was actually my guide when I finally gained access to Teldrassil. She wanted to leave when I did, and a rather violent skirmish later…well, we became close. We've been through a lot."

Ulric nodded, still in astonishment, "Still, among mating between species, elves are far more unwilling in that sort of thing, at least when commitment is concerned."

"Indeed," Remnaar nodded, "Parv, even your blood- erm, Thalassians practice such-"

He paused as he turned to Parvaen, noticing his downtrodden position, as if wishing he could disappear. The draenei immediately yanked back his line of questioning with a clearing of his throat, immediately recalling Parvaen's history, returning to the others as he suddenly segued away.

"Eh, erm, even blood elves don't do that," Remnaar managed, nervously, "Not usually."

Camp became quiet after that, everybody having taking note of Parvaen's state of being, which only made him want to vanish even more. All that could be heard was the gently turning of paper pages as Tandkota absent-mindedly continued going through Colin's sketchbook. Ulric finally took the initiative, taking to his feet with a sigh.

"I think it's time to turn in," he concluded, "We'll have a long day tomorrow, if everything goes to plan."

Kyra looked up toward him, "Which is?"

Ulrich sighed once more, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, passage through to the Blight has been restricted through Wintergarde due to some…unfavorable events. Tomorrow, I'll be taking Shadowmoon along and the two of us will try and figure out whether or not we'll all be able to pass through. Deegan Poore's condition might not help, after all."

"Of course," he went on, "We have contingency plans, just in case we can't pass on."

Colin shrugged, "It's no big deal either way. We're only trying to pass on through to Wyrmrest Temple; it's not as if we are needing to see the whole thing."

Suddenly, Ulric's ears perked up, "Wyrmrest?"

His immediately interest quickly placed a red flag within Colin's mind, as if Kyra's subtle jab of the knee wasn't enough, so he quickly made up, "Just a nice place to see, I figured. Might as well get some drawings of its interior, if I'm allowed."

Tandkota's attention immediately returned at Colin's mention of drawings, the tauren embarrassingly shutting the sketchbook and passing it along back to him, "S-Sorry."

Colin only smiled back to him, "Owachi."

Ulric rubbed his head, shaking his head as if to shed a thought from his mind, "Alright. You all will remain here until we return. Should the need arise, Remnaar, keep everybody safe, alright?"

"On my honor, sir," the draenei replied, immediately, offering a quick thumbs-up alongside his confident words.

Ulric nodded his approval as he bent down to scoop up some dirt to snuff out the flames of the campfire, the heated air meeting its last breath as he muttered aloud, "Goodnight."


	26. Ulric's Approach

As day broke, Ulrich and Shadowmoon were quick to head on toward Wintergarde, leaving the others within the pure-lit morning sunlight that filled the forest. The morning began the same way the night before had ended, quietly, with the three newcomers simply following the atmosphere that the three others emitted. Remnaar still felt guilty, Tandkota was still embarrassed, and Parvaen was still down, leaving nothing much besides awkward, quiet air between the six of them all.

Colin had wished to talk to Kyra, but even he felt rather unwilling to break the odd tension that ran over the camp. He slowly stood up, stretching his back as his arms shot up over his head, looking out into the distance, curiously, out toward the heaviest portion of the Grizzly Hills, before speaking up.

"Hey, I'm gonna go stretch my legs. Kyra, wanna come?"

She nodded as she took to her feet, turning to Vylira, who simply waved off her offer before she could even speak, "Nah, you two go on. I'd hate to imply secrecy or something amidst these three, here."

Remnaar grinned, "We're the ones offering _you_ all passage. I'm pretty comfortable in knowing that you three, literally, have only to lose by being secretive, as you say."

Vylira returned a look to Kyra and Colin, only shrugging with a smile, "See? Now you two lovebirds go get a move-on. No telling when those two'll get back."

Colin rolled his eyes, though he still gave an unamused grin before turning to Kyra, the two of them starting off into the thicker part of the woods as Vylira spun to the side, allowing her to lay back down, her hands stretching up behind her head to shield her scalp from the rough terrain, closing her eyes. She listened to the three of Ulric's men, rambling on about whatever, before finally, Tandkota addressed her.

"Kaldorei," he muttered in his deep, rumbling voice, as if seeing if she'd fallen asleep yet.

Without opening her eyes, she replied, "Please, call me Vylira."

"Hmm," Tandkota nodded, running the name through his mind, "Vylira, would you like some Northrend breakfast? As long as you've not gone off, anyway."

Her eyes barely opened in interest, her head tilting to the side curiously as Parvaen continued jerking a cast-iron skillet back and forth over the fire, "What's that, exactly?"

"Some rhino dogs, a bit of worg tartare; funny story about the herring, I was actually hunting for the recipe on how to prepare it for ages; turns out it was right in my recipe book all along," Tandkota chuckled as he went on peeling the skin from a fish in his hands.

Vylira watched him, oddly, "Odd place up here, huh?"

"Very," Tandkota confirmed, simply going on with his activity.

Kyra and Colin trudged through the thick brush of the forest, trying to get out of earshot from both Vylira and Parvaen, before finally beginning to converse. With daylight came the passing of mystery that surrounded these hills when it came to the darkness of night, leaving the two of them with little more than their own conversation as they walked along, freely.

"So what's up?" Kyra asked first, knowing they were far enough away.

Colin sighed, stopping his walk once he knew they were good. He slowly crossed his arms as he stood there, his lips pulling inward as he thought, silently, even closing his eyes for a duration before finally speaking up.

"You have your own apprehensions, I know," Colin shrugged, "Are you just deferring to me because I'm the, I guess, leader?"

Kyra stared at him, "I'm deferring to you because I trust you. But to answer your assumption, I've been apprehensive about this group ever since we ran into them. Remember, _I_ was the one prepared to leave them be."

Colin nodded, slowly, "I'd like to think your sister deserves more-"

He quickly shot out another thought to interrupt Kyra as she threw her arm out, prepared to shout out something herself, "I know! I know, Kyra; she doesn't deserve anything from you, I got that. Just- Let's forget about that for a second."

Sighing, he turned away, staring out into the distance with a shake of his head, "When I mentioned Wyrmrest Temple, that Ulric guy; he was far too interested. Now, while _I_ believe your sister deser- has some worth to her when it comes to trust, I don't trust anybody else of that group as far as I can throw them. Now I know you want me to decide these things, but I really need your thoughts on potentially ditching them."

Kyra eyed him, critiquingly, as her own lips twisted vaguely in consideration, nodding in acknowledgement, "I say we pray that this Wintergarde thing doesn't work out, and in that case, we go on alone. If Vylira is so intent on Syheath, then hey, that's on her. As far as you and I go, I came up here for one reason and one reason only.

"I understand," Colin nodded, "If we can't go through Wintergarde, we'll manage Vylira aside and see what she wants to do, but honestly, Ulric has had me apprehensive ever since I laid eyes on him. I saw him back before Deegan fell; pacing back and forth on that balcony- he's far more conniving than most men I've come across."

Their plan laid on, Colin lowered his arms to his sides, sighing aloud in fatigue as he reached over to take Kyra's hand into his, "I should be beside you in our bed right now."

"Gods always get in the way," Kyra smiled, faintly, "At least in your case."

"You're telling me," Colin grinned, his feet moving forward as the two began walking through the forest together, "I was living a totally carefree existence. Then Tyriel mentions getting atop that tree of yours, and that all changed."

Smirking, Kyra turned toward him, "For the better, right?"

"Oh, of course!" Colin smiled, "If it weren't for Elune, you wouldn't have pledged to be her light in my life. Even now, whenever I feel worried or- back when I saw Deegan's screwed up body, I just thought of you and I wasn't afraid anymore."

He shrugged, boyishly, "I told you, long ago; you make me want to be strong. Now, here I am, leading two Silverwings in this crazy wilderness."

"You're just trying to keep on my good side, aren't you?" Kyra asserted, quickly, with a wry smirk.

Colin assured her, pulling her to where their shoulders met, not bothering to speak as they walked along, the two simply enjoying the woods. Aside from the bright sunlight from above, it was dense enough to remind the two, somewhat, of Teldrassil, a place that held so much significance to both of them. Even in this wilderness, it afforded them some semblance of comfort, if only for a moment.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ulric and Shadowmoon had made their way into the interior of Wintergarde, avoiding all of the checkpoints that had been set up with the news of Deegan Poore's death having arrived already. While he was ruthless and brutal, he was still a powerful figure when it came to the provincial governments of Northrend, and especially given his recent partnering with D.H.E.T.A., it only caused more of an alarm as to the culprit's identities. Regardless of whether or not it had come to light that Ulric and his group had been implicated, it was something he had no intention of discovering.

Walking hurriedly down a slim alleyway, Ulric carefully led the two of them past the adjacent paths, not making a move unless he was certain they wouldn't be seen. Shadowmoon followed diligently, covered as she was; were anybody to spot her, her identity would have been difficult to discern to begin with.

"Almost there," Ulric whispered as they stopped in a tight corner, leaving him to pull out a leather wallet, "Okay, you stay here. I'll head on up and find Melyth. Hopefully he can offer us passage without being detected."

Shadowmoon sighed, "Melyth was the one you talked to last time. Honestly, you'd think that risking your life trying to make deals with these shady fucks would offer you some more ability to recall their names."

He turned to her, blankly, leaving her to groan once more, shaking her head, "You're looking for Tornir. The dwarf? He runs the underground black market through here?"

Ulric snapped his finger, "That's it. Alright, stay here and I'll-"

"No," Shadowmoon ordered, grasping his shirt and throwing him back against the wall, dominantly, "Last time we were nearly killed because you… That 'thing' happened. Here's what we're going to do: while _you_ go and call in favors that none of these assholes seem to remember, _I'm_ going to go and buy a room at that inn over there, so if _you_ do that again, we have a place instead of barging into a random room like last time."

Ulric's eyes narrowed, "Who's the leader here, again?"

"You, but you do a shit job of it," Shadowmoon sighed, "Like bringing those three along? Who the fuck brings along three strangers like that?"

Ulric rolled his eyes, "We're going that way anyway. Finding Tornir and all this; we'd have to do it anyway, so who cares? I just hope he accepts. I do _not_ want to traverse those Crystalsong mountains…"

He shook his head as if to clear the thought from his mind, turning back toward the small building where Tornir ran his underground business dealings, "Fine. Go do that and I'll see what I can do here. And please, do make haste if I end up in…undesirable circumstances."

"Don't I always?" Shadowmoon retorted with a groan, slipping a few gold coins out from Ulric's wallet before crouching through the alley toward the inn, leaving him.

His lips turning with anticipation, Ulric made his move as well, making his way, carefully, toward the place of Tornir Stormgem.


	27. Rescue & Rakes

**_A/N: I_ am _aware that Ulric (and maybe to an extent, Shadowmoon) has become a much more interesting character than either of my two main characters, and I have no idea how that happened xD_**

* * *

Ulric's face sunk, refusing to release a sigh, though he did allow his lips to coil up into a look of disappointment. Here he was, yet again, tied up to a chair, in the office of some mob-man, with only the ticking of a nearby clock to give him company. It reminded him so much of the last time this had occurred, just a few weeks ago, back in Valiance Keep; however, this time, as his head slowly tilted just enough to examine the windowless wall to his side, he knew it was so, so different.

His foot jittered away, his heel jumping up and down repeatedly, only his toes at the ground, as only the most subtle of noises disturbed the ceiling above him. He could have sworn it sounded something like a *thump*, but being near-inaudible, he couldn't even been sure if it had been real or not.

Thinking back to just a moment ago, Tornir Stormgem, that bastard dwarf, had vowed to slice his head off were he to move from where he sat when he returned, and it quickly came into his mind as he moved his head to look toward the door. A thicker pang of clockwork, more than any of the others, signifying the arrival of an hour- the hour Shadowmoon was to save him. However, Ulric couldn't have guessed he'd have been taken into the basement.

His eyes narrowed toward the door, only the slimmest of thoughts passing through his mind that doubted Shadowmoon's being just on the other side. He pushed back on the chair, leaning it back onto its hind legs before rocking forward, swinging the chair along until his feet met the ground, Ulric quickly waddling over toward the door to try and figure out how to help of Shadowmoon in her rescue.

As he went, he heard the handle shake, the sound of metal scraping against metal. He finally allowed himself a sigh of relief as he slowly bounded along toward freedom; toward the ultimately freeing arms of his most trusted compa-

Ulric paused, his eyes having trailed along the floor to see where he was headed, only to find a pair of dwarven feet, his excitement at leaving having drowned out the final segments of Tornir and his croneys unlocking the door. Ever so slowly, between the two ends of a silent gulp, Ulric sat the front legs of the chair down before allowing the last two to follow, sitting there just in front of Tornir with his lips curled inward.

"Howdy," he murmured, nonchalantly.

Tornir grinned, reaching his hand over his shoulder, "I warned ye'…"

Ulric's expression remained still as Tornir's henchmen, another dwarf and a human, quickly shot around to Ulric's backside, both of them holding him up by his bound arms before spinning him around so that his back was to their boss, the dwarf cackling as the tell-tale sound of an axe being ripped from its holster broke through the air.

"Ever been to a Dalaran Destroy'rs game, Walthorn?"

Ulric grimaced, "No; can't say that I have."

"Heh heh," Tornir chuckled, "It's rather _smashing_ , if I do say so myself…"

Shutting his eyes tightly, Ulric grimaced as Tornir swung his mighty axe right through the chair and into Ulric's back, the two henchmen letting him go just in time for his body to go careening across the room, nearly blowing a hole in the wall of earthen support as Ulric's breath blew out of him, his body falling forcefully onto the floor.

He curled up in pain, cursing under his breath. His body jerked as the two cronies came to his side, forcefully lifting him up, which wasn't much of a chore, now that Ulric's body was mostly limp. Tornir headed toward his desk, using the axe to wave along its surface, clearing it of all its contents, allowing the two goons to throw Ulric on top of it, keeping his arms held down while he swayed back and forth in pain, unable to fight back.

Tornir hopped onto the table himself, his feet on either side of Ulric's head as he playfully rolled his axe's handle up and down his shoulder, "I wouldn't expect yer human pals ta teach ya anything of respect, boy, but you were raised by this lot'a bandits for too many years fer me ta forgive this little demonstration of ill gratitude."

Ulric replied, lazily, his mind still in a dizzying haze, "I-I didn't-"

"HUSH!" Tornir roared, swinging his axe up over his hand and furiously pulling it into the air, over his head, the axe's mighty head crashing right into the desk's top, right between Ulric's legs as he stared down low, eyes blown open wide in horror.

"You awake yet?" Tornir asked.

Ulric gulped, a sweat beginning to form atop his skin, "Very."

Grinning, Tornir's fingers tapped along the handle of his axe, "Gooood… Now, we dwarves, ya know, we ain't like ya humans, making laws, breakin' 'em, workin' yer own little passthroughs fer everythin'. _WE_ carve our laws in stone, boy, and you better believe we adhere to 'em, lest we get carv'd like a boar on that very stone! Y'know what law ya broke?"

Ulric was already quivering, though as he prepared to answer, he made sure his voice was crystal clear, devoid of any amount of apprehension, "I fell _short_ of your expectations."

Without even looking, Ulric could feel Tornir's body shaking in rage, the desk between his head and the dwarf's feet feeling like an earthquake.

"Sir," Ulric finished, in mock submission.

Even Tornir's henchmen both wavered in their grips, probably deciding whether or not to leave the room as Tornir's body shook more and more, his face lowered so much that it buried itself into his thick beard, "Boy… Ya hit the last nerve yer ever gonna hit with that one…"

Tornir yanked the axe out from the wooden desk, the giant weapon flying out with a massive creaking sound as the dwarf swung it in an arch around him, holding on with both hands behind his head as he stared down into Ulric's eyes, the human's face doing a poor job at concealing his panic as the dwarf cackled once more.

"The last one who teased my height, they weren't laughin' much more after I chopped off their legs at the knees; makin' 'em shorter than me! I do believe I'll take off whatever few inches ya think you've got on ol' Stormgem, instead!"

The dwarf grunted loudly as he yanked his axe up above his head, Ulric's eyes shooting wide at the sight as his life immediately flashed through his mind, colored with nothing but whiteness. Then he was gone. Asleep, maybe. He was somewhere else, perhaps deep within his mind, but he certainly knew that he wasn't inhabiting his own body. He felt as if he were floating in some vast ocean, unable to ascertain wherever he truly was.

Ulric's hand ripped itself from one of the goons, immediately shooting up into the air, eviscerating the man's face as he cried out in shock, stumbling backwards as he was fazed. Tornir suddenly paused at the sight, suddenly terrified as Ulric's hand ripped to the other side of the desk, clawing at the other dwarf with such force that his body flew off the desk and onto the ground as Ulric pummeled the henchmen repeatedly, only stopping as his stare shot up toward Tornir.

The dwarf backed off, nearly falling off the top of the desk before hurriedly descending, his feet slowly taking him towards the door as he held his axe in front of him, eyes wide at the sight of Ulric, his breathing haggard leaving subtle trails of growling with each step like a guttural rumbling. Ulric's body shook viciously, not bothering to stop, even after Tornir began shouting at him.

"S-Stay back, you beast! Fucking worgen; I shoulda left you to rot in the streets!" Tornir complained loudly, turning to find his remaining henchman having already left the room.

He scoffed, eyeing Ulric with sinister eyes before the human shot toward him, leaving Tornir to quickly throw his axe in an arc in front of him, putting all of his strength into is as fear rushed through his body. Ulric made a maddening leaping toward the wall, avoiding his swing, and as Tornir's body flew to the side from the momentum of his axe, his face rapidly shot toward Ulric, a look of terror appearing as he realized his opening.

Ulric tore through the air, tackling Tornir and ripping at him with his fingernails, like claws, drowning out the dwarf's cries with ever increasing roars and grunts as he shoved his fingers wherever he could into Tornir's body, viciously tearing at whatever skin he could find as if every bit of energy inside of him was bursting out wherever it could.

As Tornir's voice ended, Ulric's gruesome assault slowed, his growling becoming dry gasps for breath, his eyes still wide as he suddenly fell forward, his hand grasping at the floor to keep him up as his heavy breaths grew shallow, as if he were choking.

Suddenly, his body flinched backwards, the hair on his body having prickled up, causing him to notice the subtle difference in the air by Shadowmoon standing in the doorway, a look of terror painted over her face. Ulric's eyes met hers amidst his hollowed breaths, his arm shaking weakly as his strength began to leave him, his body finally teetering to its side before he fell to the floor.

Shadowmoon surveyed the damage, horrified by what had occurred. The dwarf just a few steps from her barely had anything resembling a face, it had been so severely clawed; her eyes suddenly shifting toward Ulric, who lay there, his panting growing more and more like the whining of a beast.

Running a hand through her hair, nervously, Shadowmoon muttered to herself, angrily, "Fuck."

She quickly made her way toward Ulric, crouching beside him as she reached over toward his face to see if it was his blood or his enemy's, though he gave a sudden, furious snort, leaving Shadowmoon to immediately smack him across the face, "Knock it off! Goddamn, it's bad enough you've got this shit going on."

After her swipe, Ulrich lowered his aggressive posture as she helped him to his feet, his breaths still gasping for air between snorts, Shadowmoon's face holding steady in an unamused glare as she helped him toward the door.

"Elune help me," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as the two managed to leave.

* * *

Ulric's body collapsed through the door as Shadowmoon dashed into the room after him, hurriedly slamming the door shut and locking it up, sighing with relief as she pressed her forehead against the wooden frame, taking a brief moment of respite. Shadowmoon's heart rate immediately bolted along, once again, as a hoarse grunt ran through the air, her body spinning around as Ulric was trying to pick himself up off the ground, his body nearly hunched over as it shook wildly, his fingernails clawing at the floor as he tried pushing himself up to his feet.

"No no no no no," Shadowmoon repeated as she rushed over, crouching beside him, his eyes nearly bursting out of his skull with how wide his eyes were, bloodshot streaks of red running along their whites, "You need to just- fucking stay down here."

Her own eyes grew quickly as his breathing hastened, his muscles bulging along his arms as his hands clenched as tight as they could into fists, blood beginning to run onto the floor from his nails digging deeper and deeper into his skin. Shadowmoon was quickly becoming frightened as Ulric's breaths grew more haggard, her mind rushing for some sort of solution.

She jumped up toward a nearby table, where a vase of complimentary water sat, grasping it quickly from near its mouth, carefully swinging it through the air so that its contents went splashing across Ulric's body. In a split second, Ulric's body pounced right at Shadowmoon in assertive rage, shoving her against the wall as he snarled angrily, his arm pulled back, his fingernails preparing to flay her skin.

Her eyes shut in horror as she covered her face, though nothing came to harm her. Slowly, she peered through her arms as Ulric's teeth barred, furiously holding his arm from jumping toward her, his eyes so clearly showing his failing strength at battling his suddenly beastly instincts. He pulled himself away, hunching over the nearby table as he'd done before, every breath coming out as a deep growl as he desperately tried to steady his breathing.

Shadowmoon watched him, terrified, her heart racing at the scene before her, that had followed what had just happened. Her brow sunk with concern, watching him struggle, doing whatever he could possibly due to stem the rising tide of whatever hell was building within him. He continued growling, his knees quivering weakly as his internal battle raged, Shadowmoon's resolve suddenly steeling as a hopeless sigh escaped her lips.

"Fuck," she muttered to herself in dismay.

She hurried up behind him, peering over his shoulder as her hands crawled around his sides, slowly, reaching for the buttons of his shirt, a sudden, angry snarl escaping from him before Shadowmoon instantly shouted back, "Oh, shut up! Like I want to do this! Goddamn…"

Ulric's body calmed down reluctantly as she carefully worked his shirts ends apart at the buttons, "I'm not about to rush out of this place with you not having an intact shirt."

As her arms rubbed along his body, she could begin to tell, more and more, that the shivering of his body wasn't as feral as she had believed. It carried a sense of fright with it, as if Ulric was as terrified of this state as she was. She finished undoing his shirt, reaching over to pull it down from his wrists, suddenly feeling the hairs on his hand, all standing upright, again, like a frightened beast. Her eyes peered up toward the side of his head, sadly, watching his face shake as if on the verge of tears.

The pads of his fingers trailed roughly across the surface of the table as he desperately clung to it, much like last time, trying to find any way to expel the rage within him. After Shadowmoon dropped his shirt onto the ground, she reached around his body, her hands delicately holding atop his stomach as a wild snort escaped him, his eyes shutting in anticipation as his breaths drew shallower.

Shadowmoon frowned, her eyes trailing as far away from him as they could as she muttered quietly to herself, "Goddammit, I'm going to have to do this, aren't I."

His voice panting desperately, Ulric released a sort of pained groan as he hunched forward, the muscles in his arms flaring up as he scratched deeply into the wooden table, his body quaking wildly as the last vestiges of humanity continued to strip from his mind, Shadowmoon's eyes watching him worriedly. She knew next to nothing about such things as men being afflicted with anything if this sort, but she knew that she was running out of time to reach for a solution.

She sighed heavily as her hand slid down his chest and down across his stomach, her body giving a subtle shiver at the muscular shape of his torso, surprising even herself. A low, guttural growling left his lips as he turned to face her, his teeth baring violently as if about to snap at her, but in a split second, her hand shot low, into his pants, Ulric's body jumping in surprise alongside a sudden yelp as she grabbed ahold of him, gently enough. She gulped in uncomfortable silence, never having done such a thing before, though it seemed to have worked somewhat as Ulric leaned over the table, growling lower and over longer breaths, almost a more sultry form of bestial vocalizations.

"You're welcome," Shadowmoon muttered, sarcastically, as she shook her head, still shocked that she was doing such a thing.

In a few moments time, however, the strange feeling became increasingly familiar, even allowing curiosity to take her over. Her arms wrapped around Ulric's bare torso, her own breaths grew shallower as his body swelled up against her with every one of his breaths, bringing attention to her of just how broad his body was. Her eyes dimmed as her heart began to race, Ulric's hips instinctively beginning to sway back and forth against her hand.

Suddenly coming to the realization of what was going on, Shadowmoon caught herself in a compromising situation, not only in this current physical sense, but in a far more important emotional sense when it came to tomorrow, or the day after. Her hand immediately bolted from his length and into the air as she stepped backward, both hands innocently raised as her breaths continued their heavy circulation.

"O-Okay, this is so not worth it," she spoke aloud as Ulric's labored breathing forced his body to bellow in and out, "You want to do this to yourself, that-!"

Ulric suddenly stumbled to the ground onto his knees, his hands leaving table as they reached for his face, scratching at his skin as his growling turned to wails of pain. Shadowmoon groaned, shaking her head as she grabbed his wrist, pulling him back up to his feet and over toward the only bed in the room.

"You better be thankful," she complained amidst Ulric's heavy panting, reaching her hands around the hem of his pants, digging her fingers against his skin to grab ahold of everything before tugging down, forcefully yanking his clothes down past his thighs, her head shaking at the sight.

"You need to get something out of you, I'm guessing," she explained to herself, as if she was the one in need of convincing, gently grasping him with her hand, causing a low, bestial gasp to come from above, "Goddamn, how the fuck do you guys run around with this thing?"

She frowned as her hand began running along its length, Ulric's beleaguered breaths quickly beginning to shake as she went on, her mood not improving as her frowned remained, even after Ulric's hand fell atop her head in an instinctive move to steady himself, though she quickly swatted it away, "Get the fuck off! Can't you see I'm-"

He immediately snapped at her, nearly barking at her, though she immediately yanked at his member, a quick yelp leaving him as she rolled her eyes, "Try that again. I can't be accused of murder if you're a fucking animal."

She shook her head again, though her hand hadn't stopped, saved for the quick burst of punishment. As Ulric's breaths grew more quick and his lower body grew more unsteady with pleasure coursing through his beast-addled body, Shadowmoon's eyes grew more and more narrow, watching him work himself more and more into his own submission, particularly to her. She had tamed a beast, so to speak, even if the beast was still, in some odd sense at this point, a human. The thought didn't do much to keep her calm, and even her own breath became heavier as her fingers wrung differently with each pass of his member, her body nearly jumping as it began to pulse even larger.

She managed a gulp as she suddenly pulled away, having noticed Ulric's quieted mood, a sigh escaping her, "Okay, are you done? Th-That's all you do, ri-?"

Ulric immediately grabbed at her with a viciously quick growl, having been left unintentionally dissatisfied, pulling Shadowmoon up and shoving her onto the bed, the shock on her face, combined with her own heated body, kept her from resisting. She simply watched, helplessly, as his body nearly heaved with such panicked breaths, his face in an impatient scowl as he grasped her pants, forcefully yanking them down her legs, almost pulling her off the bed as he did so, her eyes wide in surprise as he fell toward her, just barely catching himself as his hands slammed against the mattress.

Unable to completely comprehend what was going on, Shadowmoon only stared down at Ulric's head, his thick hair falling toward her, nearly tickling the skin of her neck until a earth-shattering pain suddenly filled her body, her voice giving way to a massive cry as Ulric shoved himself inside of her, his own lips giving way to a sudden outcry of whining as though such a sensation was too much for even him to bear.

Tears began to well up beside Shadowmoon's eyes before Ulric's hips suddenly began to jerk toward her, in an out, his body in such maelstrom of primal energy that his instincts took over, his pelvis shoving against hers as she cried out with every stroke, her throat drying out from her repeated yelps of pain from the unexpected pressure nearly blowing a hole through her body.

Ulric's head buried itself into her chest, his breathing so furious that the steam from his breaths began to mark a damp spot atop Shadowmoon's shirt, his teeth suddenly biting at the soft fabric as his panting turned into muffled cries of his own pain as the muscles in his hips began to cramp and pull at him, yet he couldn't bear to stop, the hot, luscious coils within Shadowmoon almost sucking him back in with each heave of his waist.

Slowly, Shadowmoon's cries of anguish turned into sultry groans as her body surrendered itself to the foreign sensation that went of pulverizing her insides to melting them. Her hands forcibly grabbed at tufts of Ulric's hair as she lifted her head to meet his scalp, drying her tears while also muting the groans from her own body as they began to crescendo. She could feel the chiseled, ribbed chest of Ulric as it glided across her chest with every thrust, eventually working her shirt up to her chest, the imprint of his muscular frame along her stomach only adding to the power he wielded over her at this moment. She had dominated him so easily just moments ago, yet in a sudden twist, he was now holding dominion over her. It was a feeling that left her breathless, her body heating up even further, Ulric's movements becoming even smoother as her insides melted away into honey that sloshed with every shove.

Shadowmoon's body began to quake impetuously, a massive feeling rumbling inside of her as Ulric's panting breathing hotter and hotter air through her shirt and at her skin, his body leaving no room within her for any relief from the mass of nerves shocking all the way up her body, unto every inch, all the way up to her mind. Her body welled up one final time before she was met with the indescribable sense of orgasm, her body seizing up as pleasure overflowed from within her, her insides coiling up even tighter, forcing her nerve to burst even more forcefully as Ulric suddenly let out a progressive groan from the sensation, his body frantically hunting down its own release as Shadowmoon's body began to fold on along his length, his yelping immediately turning into a loud, prolonged, bestial gasp as he made one final shove inside of her, his body quivering mindlessly, right into a state of blankness, surrounded only by nothing more than what his body felt.

As he released everything he had into her, Shadowmoon grunted, pulling her handfuls of his hair into her face as her eyes squinted open, staring into the wild forest of hair as tears fell down her cheeks, her body full of nothing else but this man. Ulric's breathing returned as desperate breaths as he tried to pull away, Shadowmoon relinquishing her control over his hair as he pushed himself up to his knees, though as he did, his placement slipped and he suddenly fell to the floor, helplessly, with a loud thud. He simply laid there, lazily, as he collected his breath, feeling nothing more than euphoria; even the animal within him having ceased its assault on his senses as his body slowly worked its way toward relief.

Shadowmoon remained atop the bed, her head rolled back as she tried to rein in her heavy breaths, though to no avail. She quickly relegated herself to simply laying there, staring off into space as she floated somewhere above her own body. She now felt so empty, her body slowly recovering from the rough act, her hands clutching the sheets beneath her as she felt the last vestiges of Ulric's advance leaving her, slowly.

Her mind managed to wander to a thought; a thanks that she needn't worry about having children this early in her life. Though, even without that, a fear crept over her mind. That of how different things would be between these two. How everybody in camp would know something had happened. How she might not be able to make rational decisions any longer.

"It was all to save him," she thought to herself, repeatedly, trying to assure only herself; trying to keep her life intact beyond these next few moments, "Just to save him…"


	28. The Grizzled Hills

Ulric's body was slumped over for the most part, leaving Shadowmoon with most of the task of keeping him standing up as his legs lazily moved along forward, the two already having to stop a few times as they shortened the distance between themselves and the camp where the others were. He had spoken a few times, though Shadowmoon's responses were either non-existent or were made up only a word or two, so he figured he shouldn't continue.

His mind had been blank, as if he'd just lost a massive amount of time worth of memories; he vaguely even remembered being in Tornir's room before his mind just went blank, up until he awoke with Shadowmoon's desperate attempts at dragging him along. She'd made it a considerable distance, though she was certainly less upset once he was capable of helping, even if it wasn't much.

"How long have we been gone?" Ulric managed, figuring it was a question devoid of anything that could upset her further.

"Few hours," she mumbled, emotionlessly, trying not to drag her own feet as her strength continued to wane under the weight of the load at her side.

Ulric nodded, trying again to step on his own, his leg reaching forward, forcing Shadowmoon to pause. He leaned forward, his foot hitting the ground as he groaned, painfully, his muscles still locked up, though he was still able to put enough weight on his foot to stand, his arms outstretched to balance himself.

"Okay…," he concluded, unsurely, "Well that's one thing solved."

He shook his head rapidly, freeing himself of any doubts of his ability to remain standing, as he began to walk, still with a slight grunt from the pain, Shadowmoon eventually turning her head to snap at him, "Would you cut it out?!"

He watched her, confused, "Uh, cut what out?"

"That…noise."

His eyes constricted, "I'm sorry; my painful noises that result from the shards of glass currently inside my legs?"

"Yes," Shadowmoon nodded, angrily, walking along, "That one."

Ulric sighed, following behind her, doing his best to keep from making any noise, though he found it difficult to do so with every step forcing his muscles to ache even further. Though, no longer having to worry about annoying his companion was a weight lifted from his mind, even if another one quickly replaced it as Shadowmoon's feet increasingly took her father away from him as he, more or less, stumbled along.

"Hey, uh," he moaned, masking another grunt, "Nothing happened, did it?"

"What gave you that idea?!" Shadowmoon shouted as she stopped, turning toward him from a considerable distance away.

Ulric still stumbled along, trying to catch up, "Oh, I don't know; just the constant antagonism, maybe? I mean, I'm not good at reading people, I don't think, but I think even Weaponsmith Wallace could see that you kind of hate me right now."

Shadowmoon glared at him, unamused, as Ulric's shoulders sunk as he explained, "He's a guy from back home. He's blind, so, you know, that's kind of why I said- Okay, can we just-"

"That's not why I'm staring you down," Shadowmoon clarified, easily.

"Oh, well that wording doesn't sound vicious at all," Ulric shot back, getting progressively frustrated between her attitude and his inability to walk, "I mean, it doesn't sound like the ramblings of some feral quilboar with an appetite for anything walking on two legs, which, as of right now, I'm pretty sure I don't qualify!"

His steps turned, slowly, into stomps, until finally his leg gave way, his body collapsing forward and into the ground, his face smashing right into the rough terrain beneath him. His hands slid up, clutching angrily as the dirt as he released an angry shout into the ground, his fist returning to pads. He laid there for a moment as he calmed down, though Shadowmoon gave an inaudible sigh as she returned to him, shoving her foot between his shoulder and the ground, kicking him over onto his back so that they could meet eye to eye.

"Say thank you," she instructed, holding her fists onto her hips.

Ulric rolled his eyes, replying near-sarcastically, "Thank you."

Shadowmoon nodded, her foot suddenly stomping onto his shoulder, causing him to recoil in pain as he shouted out again, "AH! Goddamn it! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Now say 'thank you for earlier'," she demanded, heatedly.

Ulric seethed, "Okay, okay; fuck. Thank you for earlier. Happy?"

She shook her head, though she still rounded around him, bending over to take his hand, "Not exactly, but it'll do for now."

As she helped him to his feet again, Ulric groaned, shaking his head, "You gonna tell me what all that was about?!"

"Probably not," she shrugged, "What are you gonna do? Kick your best hunter out of the group?"

Groaning, Ulric shook his head, treading slowly, though this time, Shadowmoon seemed to take slightly more care in walking at least a bit closer, so as to not leave him behind should he fall again. He couldn't begin to figure out what could have possibly happened that would have had this sort of effect on her, but he figured it best to wait until he was safely in the presence of their comrades, should he be unable to rely on her.

She had called his bluff, however; they both knew that she was, for the most part, beyond being kicked out of the group, no matter how insolent she could possibly be; despite her current mood, Ulric would still choose to trust her over any other.

They remained quiet after that small quarrel, the two slowly pressing onward as the sun began to descend down its arc. Eventually, they were finally able to eye the forest that concealed their group's encampment, Shadowmoon tailing back to help Ulric make his way through the now-dense ground beneath them, helping him over vines and tree trunks, helping to quell some of Ulric's apprehension, if only slightly.

As they made it closer to the others, they began hearing their chirping, particularly Remnaar, who seemed to be in charge of the conversation at that point, his voice rather heated, "Hmph! I wouldn't expect a tauren and a blood elf to understand! You two can come at me with whatever accusations you two may have; I'm not budg- Get that knife out of my face!"

Ulric turned to Shadowmoon, worriedly, as the two suddenly sped up however fast they could, rounding the last set of trees before the small camp came into view, Remnaar desperately pushing away Parvaen's arm, "That stuff smells absolutely rotten!"

Parvaen retrieved his knife, which had a collection of rolled up fish atop of it, wrapped up in seaweed, "How can it be rotten if it's cooked?!"

"You've desecrated perfectly good snapper, you dolt!" Remnaar retorted, pulling his own dish up to his mouth, "These lakes teem with fish whose very flesh tastes divine without you charring it to a crisp! I'd have thought you, Kota, would agree with me!"

The tauren shrugged, slowly, "I eat what tastes good."

"Oh, and I'm sure Parv, here, has turned you onto a smorgasbord of culinary delights up here; what with his herrings and-"

"It's good," Tandkota interrupted, confirming his thoughts on the matter, leaving Parvaen beaming with pride.

"Well, Rem," Parvaen smugly began, "I suppose I win."

Remnaar scoffed, "We have one other opinion yet. If she ever wakes up, I'm sure I can rely on the sophistication of the Kaldorei pallet. When my parents first arrived on this land, they were introduced to the finest delights your tongues could ever indulge in!"

He cleared his through, continuing rather embarrassingly, "Thank the Eredar she's still asleep; I didn't mean it anywhere near-"

"You're the one who thought it that way," Parvaen's eyes rolled.

Snorting dissatisfactorily, Remnaar shook his head, looking away to get some fresh eyes before coming to Shadowmoon and Ulric, trudging along toward the group, the draenei jumping up to his feet in a split second, "My god! What happened?!"

Parvaen and Tandkota both rushed to their feet as well, Shadowmoon relinquishing Ulric's care to Remnaar, who quickly took him from her shoulder, "You want the short version?"

"Isn't there usually a-"

"Not in this case," Shadowmoon replied, drolly.

Parvaen replied, "Okay, uh- the short vers-"

"Shit happened," was all she muttered as she walked toward a log by the fire, falling to sit down, rubbing her shoulder to relieve it of its stress, eyeing Vylira lying down across from her, "What's _she_ doing?"

Remnaar replied, helping Ulric to the ground, wrapping a blanket around him, "She's been dozing off and on. Didn't seem like an issue, seeing as how we've just been waiting here."

Shadowmoon shook her head, annoyingly, as she leaned over to warm up by the fire, rubbing her hands together. Parvaen was quick to pass Tandkota a sack of medical supplies before he began preparing a bowl of food for his captain, though Ulric was quick to turn both of them down.

"I'm fine," Ulric smiled, weakly, "I actually feel more nauseous than anything. I just need some rest."

Remnaar toyed with the idea of asking what had happened, but a quick glance toward Shadowmoon's standoffish posture deterred him from doing so. He simply sat down as well, shaking his head at the sight of his leader coming across as so fragile- it certainly wasn't a state Ulric was in, often.

The draenei took a seat while Tandkota rounded the group to return to his own spot beside Vylira, his eyes trailing further along the circle past here, suddenly realizing the vacancy. His eyelids fell as his mind began to wrap around what they'd done, and how long ago that was, though before he could speak up, Shadowmoon's voice came out from her hunched-over body, her hands clutching around the edges of her pelt that she had pulled around herself.

"Where's the other elf and the human?"

Tandkota didn't move, but everyone else suddenly jumped up at her question, even Ulric, all of them looking up to where Tandkota was already surveying. They'd slept there the night before, and were seated there when the two had left earlier in the day. Vylira's eyes quickly shot open at her sister's words, staring up into the sky, listening.

Shadowmoon lifted herself up, turning to the three who had remained at camp, getting only stares as vacant as the two spots that had been made for Kyra and Colin; even his supplies remained sitting there. Her eyes constricted as Remnaar sighed, innocently shrugging as he hunted for an explanation.

"We don't know," was all he could conjure up, "They just went off to talk, into the woods there. Haven't seen 'em sin-"

With the quickness of a pouncing nightsaber, Vylira burst up from her laying position and immediately dashed into the forest in a mad sprint, Ulric's face appearing equally as mad as he complained, angrily, "You let them into the woods?! Do you even know what-"

Putting the pieces together herself, Shadowmoon hopped up to her feet, dashing into the dense underbrush with the same speed as her sister, leaving the group behind. In a second, Parvaen followed along with similar elven swiftness as Ulric pointed to him, the blood elf with a concerned expression of his own after seeing his own comrade disappear into the wood.

Now alone with the two largest of the group, Ulric groaned, shaking his head as his hands constricted into fists, Remnaar's carelessness now putting two of his own companions in danger. He could feel his muscles constrict down his legs, suddenly relieving his pain for a moment as their decompression was halted. He slowly began to push himself up to his feet, earning the worried glance of Remnaar, who quickly offered his two hands to help him up.

"Ulric, in your state you don't need to be-"

Ulric turned away from the draenei, peering into the forest, suddenly breaking away from Remnaar as he bolted into a sprint of his own, not following Vylira as much as he was chasing after his two stewards. Remnaar sighed, rubbing his face in dismay as he sat back down, shaking his head.

"What was he expecting us to do? Chain them to the ground to keep them from wandering off?" Remnaar wondered aloud, frustratingly, "Did you see how fast he tore out of here?"

Tandkota nodded, breathing a blast of steam from his nostrils as he sat down, staring deep into the flames as he noticed the darkness settling in around the camp, Remnaar's voice breaking his train of thought, "Well, do we go after them?"

Tandkota replied, his voice as steady in its stoicism as ever before, "No. We'll be of more use here."

Remnaar sighed, falling back onto a log to sit down, "I hate when you do that."

The tauren grinned, poking a stick into the fire to stoke its members, "Your gods may be from the skies above, but mine has filled _this_ earth for millennia. She knows what's best."

"If you say so," Remnaar frowned, shaking his head in worry.

* * *

The sun was still young as Kyra and Colin figured out that they had stayed too far from their path, leaving them unsure of where to go. While the hills were described as such because of its most well-known inhabitant, "grizzly" could easily describe the dense forest as well, Colin soon figured, his arms frequently raising up to push back tree limbs from came into his path. It took Kyra a short while to realize that Colin had gotten lost, though once she had done so, she remained the follower, knowing less of these lands than even her companion.

"Well," Colin finally spoke up, defeated, as he turned back toward Kyra, "We're-"

"Lost," Kyra nodded, interrupting him.

With a groan, Colin dropped his head in loss, shrugging his limp shoulders, "Any ideas?"

Kyra frowned, "Not really. I mean, I looked over maps, but I didn't bother checking anything out of this place. To be honest, I was enjoying our time together just exploring."

"As was I," Colin admitted, softly, along with a smile, "Kind of like our other adventures this last year, huh?"

"Not exactly," Kyra noted, peering over her shoulder, "We'd need some exotic beasts chasing us, or a roving band of knolls, or a massive-"

"Okay, okay; I get it," Colin interrupted, amused, "Look, I'll just climb up a tree or something and I'll get our bearings."

" _You_?" Kyra goaded in amazement, "Sorry, my love; if you tried scaling one of these trees, I'm sure I'd-"

She paused for a moment, her ears twitching before she quickly reached over and grabbed Colin's shoulders, pulling him to the ground with her. She pressed a finger to her lips before pulling him to the side, signaling him to follow her over closer to a tree while she stared off into the thicker portion of the forest. Colin couldn't sense much of anything, though within a short enough time he came to hear the pounding of footsteps rolling along, approaching the two of them.

"Trolls?" Kyra wondered aloud.

Colin answered, "Up north there's a large enough group of them, but I don't know why they'd be down here."

As soon as he finished, he saw the small band of trolls rushing by, armed to the teeth with primitive-looking weapons as they dashed forward, almost as if chasing after prey, though Colin couldn't have begun to tell what it might have been that they were hunting- he hadn't seen anything bigger than a squirrel during this sidetrack.

As the band of long-faced beings stomped along, Colin felt something sliding up his back, trailed by the dull sensation of something sharp along his shirt, coming to recognize the sensation as Kyra bringing her hand up to cover his back, her daggered hand resting at the ground on his other side. He felt a certain warmth surrounding him in the presence of this highly protective act, though he thought it to be rather uncalled for as the trolls finally passed by without incident.

Kyra sighed, relieved, as she pushed herself up to her knees, watching Colin blithely roll onto his side, looking up toward her with a smirk, "You're really sexy when you get like that."

She scoffed, shaking her head as she rose to her feet, hiding a childish grin, "Just shut up. We have a task here."

Colin laughed as he jumped to his feet as well, brushing off the dirt from his clothes as Kyra eyed him, steadily, her eyes wandering up and down his body before she spoke up, "Does that bother you?"

"Bother me?" Colin wondered aloud, "Your harsh language?"

Kyra's lips curled in worry as she looked away, locking her arms in a cross, "You know. That I'm sort of the protector, not you."

"Ah ha," Colin quipped, notably, "We ran into this Ulrich guy and you think I'm jealous of his rugged, dogged masculinity, right? That head that's nothing but hair and scowl?"

Shrugging, Kyra answered with a steady, unsure, "It crossed my mind. I mean, I often worry that you may want a more dominant role; I know when we met, it was more or less the same way, but I don't know-I try and allow you the opportunity to-"

Colin nodded, reaching over with both arms, holding her at her shoulders, "Kyra, my love –my moon, no less- I have zero issues with being led by a Silverwing-class Sentinel; you've seen me when I travel- most of the time I'm just aimlessly wandering along. I wouldn't have half the scars on my body if I was smart enough to stay on the beaten path."

He lowered his head, his eyes still locked with hers as if in submission as he continued, "But then I wouldn't have met you. A smart man would have heard the invitation "get in this basket in the back of the cart and I'll get you to Teldrassil" and immediately refused!"

"Was that really Tyriel's sales pitch?" Kyra questioned, amusedly, remembering her mentor's matter-of-factness that made her such a fine warrior.

Colin chuckled, "More or less. My life before meeting you is sort of a blur anyway."

She immediately threw a soft punch against his chest, shaking her head, "We're in the middle of nowhere and you still can't help but throw such sweet nothings toward me."

"I guarantee you that brute back at camp wouldn't afford you the same pleasantries," Colin assured, proudly, his grin swirling into a wildly coy leer, "And speaking of pleasantries, we both know-"

"Quit while you're ahead," Kyra advised, sticking her tongue out at him as she grasped his hand to pull as she started off, "I'm not going to allow you to get to where you want to go while we're lost. There are too many things within these trees for me to not be on edge."

"True," Colin agreed, "Though I'm rather curious what those trolls were hunting. There was, what, ten of them? I shudder to imagine the beast that ten men are needed to fell."

He could feel Kyra's hand tighten around his as her pace slowed, her face slowly spinning over her shoulder, "Unless it's the other way around…"

Their eye met with a tension that could have scorched the air between them as they wondered over the thought, Kyra's ears fluttering as she focused her hearing, just to be safe. Her feet drew forward slower, more carefully, as they advanced, the both of them suddenly further cautious of their surroundings.

As they started over a collection of twigs that had been strewn along the ground, their footsteps grew much louder as the crackling broke through the air around them, forcing Colin to lower his head to watch his step, his feet carefully maneuvering along the messily thrown bits of wood. As he returned to looking ahead, however, he caught Kyra's shoulder as a pale grey light shone from its taut skin, Colin's eyes drawing wide as he pulled his hand away from Kyra's, shooting it up toward his cheek as Kyra spun around in surprise.

Their eyes met, terrified, as Elune's light emanated from his cheek, both of them immediately drawing back to back, Kyra's sword flashing through the air as Colin pulled his hands away from his side, his fingers running along licks of flame as he scanned the horizon threw the dense foliage, "Hear anything?"

"No," Kyra replied.

Suddenly, as if in a dream, a massive pair of scowling eyes appearing throw the trees as Colin shuddered coldly, his eyes following them pass behind the series of trees before him. He heard slow, stomping footsteps that reverberated through the air, almost like telepathic waves crossing only his mind, he assumed, as Kyra hadn't spun around toward it yet. Colin lifted his arms in a defensive posture, which seemed to give the entity a reason to growl a dull, brooding roar as its quaking footstep stomped, again, toward them.

"Who…" the rolling, masculine roar spoke, forcing Kyra to finally spin around, holding her sword out as she stood beside her companion.

The eyes exited into a soft clearing where light managed to pour down to the forest floor, a celestial collection of light appearing through the sunlight as the form of a gigantic bear passed through the screen toward them, his teeth barred in a fierce manner.

"Who trespasses…" the beast growled, lowly, "Who stands upon the grounds my brother watched over…"

As if on instinct, Kyra threw her arms up over her head, holding her sword up into the sky as if prepared to strike were the beast to come closer. However, the ursine beast seemed to take offense at the aggressive action, its massive teeth disjoining as he roared, angrily, suddenly charging toward Kyra, his gigantic paws rumbling the very ground of the hills, his eyes widening with malicious intent.

"Trespassers!" the beast barked with reckless abandon, launching his massive body at Kyra.

In a split second, as Kyra's mouth dropped in horror, Colin reached across her midsection, throwing his arm toward her and knocking her back, though also putting himself in the crossfire of the giant bear's leaping path. The last thing he remembered was shutting his eyes with such force that he could feel the muscles in his face in pain, so desperately not wanting to feel what was sure to hit him.

Then, in only the most faint of instances, he could tell that he was knocked out. Cold. As if his life had been thrown from his body and into some other, netherous place.


	29. The Dumervals of Theramore

A whistling broke through Colin's sleep as his eyes slowly began to crack open, feeling the weight of the blankets atop of him as his hands slid along them, reaching up to rub his eyes. He instantly smelled breakfast wafting through the air to his bed in an inelegant dance that just managed to rouse him from his sleep, regardless of how little sleep he might have gotten the night before. He just barely sat up, eyes closed, as the whistling flew through the air once again, a melodious tune of sorts, accompanying the soft footfalls from the next room, soon pausing as his door creakily swung open.

"Colin?" he heard his father's voice speak brightly, opening the door further upon finding his son sitting up in bed, "Rise and shine, sport. You know what Captain Vimes says."

Colin grumbled, lazily, "Aka'Magosh?"

His father sighed, "Not _that_ ; and don't repeat his orcish. What he says is-"

"Arise with the dawn, I know, I know," Colin interrupted, no less sleepily.

Allowing a muted smile across his face, his father accepted his answer as he turned to leave, "Good. Now get on up. Your mother has breakfast going, and then you'll be coming to work with me today; I'm running close to a deadline."

Suddenly, Colin's eyes widened in excitement, "You mean I can work with the flasks?!"

His father smiled warmly, "Maaaybe. But only if you get up!"

As he left, Colin leapt from his bed as he prepared to get dressed, being careful to dress for the fall weather that now encompassed Theramore. It was a welcomed respite from the usual humid and dank air that Duskwallow usually offered, and despite it having been chilly the last few days, it was no guarantee that the humid warmth would remain foreign. Still, Colin enjoyed bundling up, and happily managed to dress well for the occasion before rushing out of his room and into the main room.

While Colin had lived here his entire life, neither of his parents were natives of this island, both figuratively and literally. While actually on an island, it also was a lone island of Alliance influence this far south on Kalimdor, having been established to escape the turmoil that had been wreaked across the sea in the Eastern Kingdoms as a result of the Burning Legion.

While its leader, the epitomous sorceress Jaina Proudmoore, held rather friendly views of the Hordish peoples that populated the lands of Kalimdor, many of her advisors and other bureaucrats despised the native peoples, leading to a constant air of tension among the island's citizens, even if Proudmoore often won out, due to how massively respected she was. However, it would not be inaccurate to say that fear wasn't also a factor- many children would gossip about Lady Jaina obliterating men with a single spell, which was a belief held by many of the adults as well, even if they wouldn't admit to such childish things.

Colin's mother, Klara, had come here as one of the initial settlers, though only as a child herself. Her parents were lower-tiered mages of the Kirin Tor, both sent off to join the restrictive existence of the order, and had followed Proudmoore when she had made her exodus to this place. While instructed in the arcane by her parents, Klara would often rebel against the same strict life her parents followed. She would indulge in crafts that were less esoteric, particularly tailoring, which she had a knack for, and while finding a job she enjoyed quelled some of her rebellion, it didn't defeat it.

She would often spend her free time at the docks, listening to the stories of overseas lands by the travelers and crewmen. One happened to be another teenager, a scraggily deckhand named Cort Dumerval who had traveled to Theramore to seek fortune alongside the expeditionary forces. When such military action never got off the ground, the only thing that kept him around was the bed of Klara, and after a quick courtship, the two married and had a son before managing a house of their own.

Eventually, Klara's parents left for Dalaran, leaving the two to fend for themselves and their son, and while Klara was just able to keep some time at the tailor, Cort spent long hours every day attempting to support his family, though in such a limited area with enough people, work was difficult to come by, and with the house, it was impossible to move. Still, they made it work, and as Colin grew, so did the couple's love for one another.

Colin rushed to the table, nearly knocking it off kilter as he hopped into the chair, his father quickly grappling a hold of the wooden frame, "Whoa, not _that_ fast. Arise _with_ the dawn; you aren't supposed to beat the clock five ways to Sunday!"

The boy barely managed a smirk as he excitedly began eating, leaving his father awestruck, "N-Now settle down there, son!"

His son's face peered up toward him, "But I'm so excited! I get to see what you do every day and I get to help!"

Cort turned to his wife, who had also turned toward the table with a bewildered expression at her son's speed, "Has your mother's teaching really left you wanting out so much?"

Klara gestured pithily with the wooden spoon in her hand, a grin cracking over her face as she turned back to breakfast, shaking her head as Cort went on, "He's just excited for something new, dear."

She frowned over the stovetop, "I'm just hoping there's nothing new for _you_ …"

"Pardon?" Cort replied, though Klara was quick to dismiss him as he turned back toward his son, who'd already finished up his meal.

"Now hold on," he instructed, Colin pausing halfway out of his chair, "I still need to eat too, so just hold up in that seat there, now."

Colin grumbled as he lifted his body back into place as Klara eyed him from the corner of her eyes, "Excited to help your dad today?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! Every time I ask, you two always bring something else up; I've never seen him at work before!"

Cort chuckled, shaking his head, "It's nothing all that exciting. You'll probably just be filling up flasks with whatever concoctions they're sending back over to Stormwind or Ironforge or somewhere."

"That's so far away," Colin replied in awe.

"Well, Theramore is a big city for mages, you know," Cort went on, "Simply because of our leader, the Kirin Tor mages consider this a highly regarded city, and because of that, most of the alchemy taking place here has an extra 'kick' to it, probably simply due to the arcane energy flowing in the air."

Colin's eyes grew, either marveling or in shock, "Arcane…energy…"

"That's enough!" Klara confirmed as she brought the rest of the meal over toward the table, "It's bad enough they've got _you_ working for them, Cort."

The middle-aged man gave her a weak, gloomy smile, "Okay. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything more than fill the flasks, alright?"

Klara groaned, but eventually agreed as she took a seat, pulling her plate of food over toward her, "Thank you. Colin, look at you; you've got egg on your face!"

She reached over with a rag to wipe it off, though Colin squirmed around, embarrassed, "M-Mom! I can get it myself!"

Rolling her eyes, his mother persisted until his face was cleared, "Once you can keep your room clean without us having to tell you, maybe then I'll be convinced."

Colin grumbled, though he didn't reply while his parents ate their meals, Klara taking a moment before her next bite to ask, "How was your friend's birthday party?"

Fiddling with a small table-top ornament, Colin shrugged, "Okay, I guess. Markus was so busy hanging out with a bunch of his friends that I didn't know, so I sort of just sat in the corner and played with their dog. He liked the present we got him, though."

"Ah ha!" Cort exclaimed, happily, before laughing, "I told you he'd like it! Every boy needs a pocket knife you know; you never know when such a thing will come in handy."

Klara nodded as her head leaned closer to her plate for another bite of food, "Especially out here. When I was a girl, there was more than one occasion where I could have used such a thing. Some of the girls thought it a prank to throw a large net over me and keep me behind the inn for the entire night."

Cort grimaced at the thought of his wife having been helpless, though Colin quickly chimed in, curiously, "Why would they do that?"

"Well," Klara sighed, scratching her head, "Let's just say that magic stuff, especially when wielded by kids- their peers tend to think of them as oddballs, still. Most adults understand that stuff, but not that many kids; they don't understand it well enough."

She glared at her husband, who had lowered his head as he took a bite to eat, trying to hide his smug expression, "And, yes, I do know what I'm saying. Do I know it's hypocritical? Yes. Do I care? No. Especially when I went through all that myself."

Colin watched his parents critically, unsure of what was going on, though his father suddenly gestured with a hand, signaling for him that he could leave. Colin immediately hopped out of his chair and dashed off deeper into the small home which sat down the lane of the poorer collection of Theremore's citizens. Cort shrugged as his wife continued eating.

"I was always jealous of your abilities," he muttered, softly.

Klara placed a hand upon the table, her voice still and unwavering, "That's enough."

"I don't know why you want to keep that from-"

"Enough," she repeated, with a fire at her breath as she spoke, though she remained unmoved.

Cort sighed longingly, shaking his head as he finished eating before standing up, collecting his and Colin's dishes before taking them back toward the sink. He rinsed them off, leaving Klara to rub her hands over her head, exasperatingly, her appetite suddenly finding itself lost. She could hear Cort quietly groan, though she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't doing it to affect her.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he managed to say atop the running water, "I wish I could see more of that side of you."

Klara rolled her eyes as he wiped off his hands, walking toward the door as Colin came running back through the house in a mad dash, not even bothering to turn to his mother as he rushed past the table. Cort was quick to grab his shoulder, holding him back before spinning him around, back toward Klara, who watched her two men standing at the door with a soft smile on her face.

"Never leave the house without saying goodbye to your mother or wife, son," Cort reminded, "Rule number one."

Colin's lips twisted in thought, but in an instant, he rushed back toward his mother, her body just turning toward him as he launched himself into a hug, the two of them holding on to the other, tightly, Klara's voice breaking through their silence, "Have a good day, buddy."

"You bet!" Colin shouted, pulling away and returning to his father's side before the old man drew the door open, letting him out into the street.

Klara made it up to her feet, walking toward Cort, who remained at the door with his hand around the handle, his body still facing into the house. His wife slowly wrapped her arms around his waist as her body melded into his, her lips pressing against his in a quick, chaste kiss.

"Like a loyal dog, I always come back to you," Cort nodded.

Klara rolled her eyes, grinning, "Like a dog alright."

The two shared a quick, silent laugh before Cort pulled away, stepping out of the door with a final, "Love you."

"Love you too, darling," Klara finished, herself, making sure to watch his shoulders shudder at the use of that final word which he hated so much.

She grinned a last time at his subconscious reaction before turning back into the house, closing the door behind her, preparing to go off to her own job at the tailor's. Her mind remained fixed on what her husband said, even if he would say it often. She stared off toward the corner, eyeing a small bag that contained her tailoring supplies, her hand slowly waving through the air as the bag slowly levitated in the air for only a moment, Klara's worry quelled as she shook her head, walking off to prepare for her day.


	30. Aquarose

"You excited?" Cort asked jovially, watching as Colin took the lead, his son holding his hands around the straps of his backpack as he walked along with a pep in his step.

He nodded as he spun around, walking backward, "Yeah!"

His father smiled at his son's enthusiasm. Having come over to seek a fortune here in Kalimdor, Cort had never been particularly skilled outside of his expertise on ships. Being held to land by his family, he was only really able to take odd jobs here and there, usually only finding work with different businesses which were in the middle of large projects and in need of workers. He wasn't particularly proud of this, and would often reflect the questions Colin had about his work, the boy curiously seeking to learn more about his father. Cort knew his son thought the world of him, and it killed him, knowing he wasn't nearly the hero his child thought him to be.

Still, Cort managed to support the family, supplemented by his wife's tailoring work, and his particular job was rather lucrative, even more so as help was desperate and his son had been called upon to help if he could. Cort worked himself to the bone on every job, and this time he was sure this job would stick. He had made such a good impression, and even the owner of the shop had nothing but good things to say about him.

Finally, he could have a job he could be proud of. More importantly, it was a job his son could be proud of him for.

"Whoa, watch it!" Cort spoke up as Colin neared the cross street, still heading backwards.

Colin skillfully spun around again, standing at the corner as various carts rolled on by, allowing his father to catch up, holding him by the shoulder before guiding him across the road, "Busy day! It's expected, I suppose, with the holidays coming up soon. We'll be getting a lot of visitors to our city, most of the Alliance men and women on the whole of Kalimdor, actually."

He looked down toward Colin, "That means some overseas visitors as well."

His son bolted his head up at him excitedly, "You think we'll see those statues that shoot out fire again?!"

"I sure hope so," Cort laughed, "Maybe we'll get to see something even cooler this year. Now watch out; here comes a caravan."

The man pulled his son to the side of the road as a large contingency of carts and wagons rolled noisily toward them, the joints of their chassis creaking along as the old mechanisms chugged along, weakly. Cort pulled his son along carefully, the crowds already beginning to grow as the holidays approached.

"Stay beside me, now," Cort instructed, keeping a hold of Colin's shoulder as he pulled him closer to his side, "It's going to get rough, okay?"

Colin nodded in reply, the opposite flow of foot-traffic beginning to run into his shoulder as they passed, the space between people shrinking further and further. Most were light, and only one was partnered with an apology, though when the hits were large, Colin nearly lost his breath as his body swung into his father's side, desperately trying to keep his footing as he recovered.

Finally freed from the torrential flow of bodies, Colin caught his breath while his father pulled him along, looking back toward him with a rushed expression, "Come on, buddy; we don't want to be late."

Colin's face jumped up to peer up at his father, the old man's expression softening into a smile as Colin caught his footing, offering a quick apologize, "Sorry."

"It's all good," Cort smiled, "It's right up here."

Unable to remember a brighter look from his father, Colin hurried along at his side, still taken aback by just how proud his father was of this moment, almost as much as Colin was excited. The two rounded the corner, with Colin picking up his pace and managing to quickly walk alongside his father, his voice emerging between breaths.

"Is it up here?" Colin asked expectantly, looking up toward his father's nodding head.

"Yessir!" he answered, easily, "Just down this last…"

Cort paused, both in speech and in speed, as the two of them came to the end of a pathway leading through a small yard before stopping at the closed door of a small workshop, Cort's eyes wandering up and down its frame as he attempted to figure out what was going on. He pulled Colin up toward the gate that kept the stone path blocked, patting him on the shoulder to signal his order to remain here.

"Hang on, let me see what's up," Cort explained, rather weakly, "They don't close the door unless…"

He trailed off darkly as he opened the gate, making his way up to the door, rubbing his hands together to warm them as a chill ran down his body. He held his head low, stepping onto the doorstep and leaning close to the door, offering just the smallest pitter-patter of knocks before pulling his hand down, remaining there without looking back toward Colin, who watched his father from afar with confusion.

The heavy door creaked lightly as it opened, just barely, revealing just the smallest visage of a heavily bearded man, sticking his face closer into the cracked space to speak to Cort, "Daniel said you'd have gotten the message."

Cort leaned closer, not wanting his son to over hear the exchange, whispering with a desperate air, "What's going on? I thought this contract was solid-"

"You were working on fumes already, Cort," the man mumbled, sympathetically, "Look, if it were up to me, I'd let you in; but I've got a family of my own to feed. I can't go against Daniel's orders."

His head lowered, gravely, Cort pulled his head back up, almost pleading, as he looked into his friend's eyes, "Tavin, please… That's my son out there; I can't walk away from this door without-"

"Cort," he muttered, weakly, though decisively, "I'm sorry. You're gonna have to figure something out. We all have, here."

Cort's head lowered weakly once again, unaware that his son was still watching him, Tavin's eyes peering over his downturned posture out toward the boy standing just outside the gate before speaking up, quietly, "Look, I gotta get back to work; I-…"

Understanding well enough that there wasn't anything he could do, Tavin sighed sympathetically, reaching out between the slight crack in the door to grasp Cort's shoulder for a moment, letting go only to pat him gently before returning to shut the door.

"Sorry, friend."

The massive door creaked as it swung closed, banging against the frame before the lock slid shut with a loud metallic noise. Cort remained there, staring into the soft brown of the wood as he leaned up against the door, not wanting to turn and face his son. Colin had been so excited, he knew; to turn back now, even though he was sure his son already was aware of what had just happened. Cort remained there for a few more moments before standing back straight, reaching up to hold his hand against his face in disbelief.

His feet slowly slid away from the door as he turned around, just managing a slight smile as he faced his son, treading slowly back down toward the gate, shaking his head, "So it goes, huh?"

Colin's brow was upturned, his face a look of sadness; not because of being refused to work with the vials, but because he had become used to seeing his father putting on these acts for him. The same look broke his father's heart, though the child couldn't have known that. Cort simply let on as if he was well aware of the fact that his family would be okay. That, somehow, they would weather the storm.

"Well, you get a free day today, I guess," Cort smiled, weakly, "How about we, uh… How about we head down to the docks today, before we tell your mother, huh?"

Colin didn't move for a moment, but ultimately nodded, albeit weakly, as his father took his hand, "We'll take the long way this time. No point in rushing I guess, huh?"

He would have far preferred his father appearing as sad as he felt inside, Colin always thought. Perhaps that's just what father's did, he often wondered.

* * *

"Come one, come all!" shouted the gnome caller, running up and down the docks of Theramore, trying desperately to raise interest in his 'show', "See the druidic wonder! Aquarose! The night elf apostate, here to show off her abili-!"

Colin turned his head over his shoulder, curiously, as the gnome grew out of earshot, his father still leading him along the massive docks that were always packed full of tourists and businesspeople. While he disguised it as a fun time, Cort had come here to seek out work overall, and remained holding onto his son's hand as the two of them made their way through the foot traffic. While his father was fixated on his usual destination, one of the troupe leaders who was constantly trying to find quick, cheap, local help whenever his exhibits brought more attention than he'd expected, Colin was busy trying to take in all of the passing wares and odd people passing by them.

Being the only Alliance stronghold this far south of Ashenvale, Theramore was an incredibly successful port city, especially when it came to Alliance merchants working their way from the Eastern Kingdoms to the mighty goblin mercantile capital of the world, Gadgetzan. Theramore was, therefore, the easiest, and most importantly, safest, passage onto Kalimdor for many Alliance races not strongly affiliated with the night elves to the far north.

This brought many tourist attractions to appeal to the locals as much as the travelers. Often, oddities were traded amongst the conglomeration of merchants and travelers, and sometimes, even people, were bought and sold, seeking travel to either Gadgetzan or Ironforge, or wherever to the East. The docks had, in a sense, been a window for Colin to experience the strange outside world from his own backyard, and it had easily become his favorite place. He remembered seeing his first draenei, the large, tailed man mesmerizing him with mechanical totems that could shoot at grasshoppers from a mile away, it seemed.

Today, however, he was caught up in his father's clutch as the two of them came to the dwarven manager of the Cragpike Tents, a large group of performers and sellers who traveled the world over, almost at the same scale as the Darkmoon Faire folks. Their manager, Bramrig, was busy looking over a handful of leaflets as Cort approached, leaving Colin by one of their tents as he spoke up happily.

"Bram!" he shouted, earning a critiquing eye from the dwarf's downturned head.

"Ah, yes yes; Cort Dumerval, correct?" Bramrig muttered loudly, "We dwarves have memories etched in stone ya know."

Cort smiled happily as he crouched down, holding onto one of the exhibit's railings to support himself, "Hey buddy; look, I've got something to-"

Colin turned back into the tent he'd been left by, eyeing the shelves of foreign objects that all appeared to incredibly neat to him. His head just barely came over the counter, but he was able to examine all of the tools and weapons that he could, his eyes glazed over. The attendant of the stall, a tauren, turned toward him, lazily, as she sleepily leaned over the counter as if trying to find sleep.

"Ne'd s'mthin', kid?" her deep voice rolled in broken common speech.

Quickly shaking his head, Colin turned her down, allowing her a quick shrug as she closed her eyes once again in search of rest, "J'st don' 'teal noth'n."

Despite her closed eyes, Colin nodded obediently, already quite fearful of the being who could have easily fit three of him inside of her. He took a few steps back, warily, before wandering into the stream of people that trailed down the length of the wooden dock, his eyes not leaving the tauren until he turned the corner. Suddenly, he heard the same gnomish voice, now more strained as if he'd been yelling for some time.

"Come one! Come all! The druidic wonder is here! Aquarose: the druidic apostate! Ready to demonstrate the magic of the earthen spirits!"

His feet pitter-pattered softly down the dock as he went, though Colin couldn't help but take notice of what he was saying. His parents had bought him a compendium one year, at this very sort of event, of the various species and flora all around Azeroth, including the humanoid, language-speaking races of the world, even if some of them had little-to-no representation. Gnolls, for example, were restricted to a quick, succinct paragraph when it came to explaining them:

"Gnolls are particularly evil beings. Much like the Kobolds, who share an odd fascination with candlelight, gnolls are particularly known for their love of all things shiny, and often set up shop around popular trading routes, 'hunting' those angelic coins they so desperately seek. Steer clear, and you won't be clawed."

Colin's interest in the gnolls, as a result, suffered, though when it came to other races that Colin very rarely, if ever, saw down in Theramore, he held a particularly ravenous interest in. The draenei wasn't even in the compendium when Colin stumbled upon him, and among most of the interest that Colin had fell toward the night elves: a race that, compared to the author's description of the gnolls, were described in almost angelic terms. Though no pictures were included of them, the author compiled many stories of night elves, many of their habits, and especially that most unattainable of traits- their immortality.

Even more than that, the authors recounting of druidic magic astounded Colin. His mother, while a daughter of the arcane, had long prevented much of any discussion of magic in the house, inexplicably making the topic of great interest to Colin's mind. The thought of seeing somebody actually wielding this elven magic seemed too good to be true, he thought.

Now hearing this caller, Colin found himself immediately gravitating toward the large, turquoise tent that stood atop one of the less-traveled docks, gently pulling at the entry curtain to take a look inside, finding nothing but darkness within. His eyes peered in deeply, trying to make out anything of interest.

"Hey!" came a wildly feminine voice from within, "If you're here for a show, close up the curtain."

Despite the reluctance in her voice, Colin was shocked into shutting the curtain, though was curious to find himself on the inside of the large sheet of cloth, now encompassed, himself, in the darkness. He turned toward the inside of the tent just as a low green light began to emanate from a crystal ball, revealing a rather lithe, purple-skinned woman sitting there, waving her hand over the mysterious device, her eyes jumping to meet Colin.

"Please tell me kids here have enough money to pay for things?" she wondered, aloud, with a hint of skepticism.

Colin eyed her with a mix of wondrousness and curiousity, though as he began to understand her words, he slowly turned away, only until her voice bit back through the air, "No, no! I've been sitting here all day long with no customers. I'll get rusty if I don't do _something_. Come on, sit."

Obediently, Colin did as he was told, sitting cross-legged across from her at the small table that held the crystal ball, his eyes suddenly opening wide as he realized just in whose presence he was in. He realized that he was in the presence of a true-to-life night elf.

"What?" she spoke up, accusingly, with a wry grin stretching over her face, "Never seen a night elf before?"

Colin shook his head, slowly.

She laughed, reaching up to fix her hair as if being critiqued, "Well, that's no surprise; we're rather solitary beings. What all do you know about night elves?"

Her hand swayed majestically around the crystal ball, eyeing Colin critically as she muttered aloud, "This is just for show, by the way. Go on."

Colin cleared his throat, rather nervously, "W-Well, uh… I know about Archimonde on Mount Hyjal, and Staghelm- actually, my school has one of the silithid fossils from that war."

The woman nodded automatically, as if the topics were of little interest to her, "Uh huh, uh huh."

"Uh," Colin thought for a moment, "I really like druidic stuff. Magic and all that."

Her ears perked up at this, nodding knowingly, "Ahh, that's why you ended up here, huh? Well, in the- I'm Aquarose, by the way."

"C-Colin."

"Well, in the spirit of openness, _yes_ , I _am_ a druid, though not in the 'official' sense. You know the Cenarion Circle?"

Colin shook his head.

"Ah, yes, well… It's all politics anyway. Women aren't supposed to be druids, you know? I had to sneak around to learn all that I have. That's why I'm here, making a leaving as a sideshow act; I was banished as an apostate."

"Banished? Just for that?" Colin questioned.

Aquarose nodded, "Yep. I wasn't ever a conventional lady though; if Pitwin weren't so focused on me being an act, I might enjoy being out in the world more. That tree wasn't ever really for me, anyway."

"Tree?" Colin wondered, reverently.

She grinned, lifting her legs as she spun around, digging into a small box full of trinkets that she kept nearby, "I guess you don't know _all_ that much, huh? Let's see… I had something in here that might- Damn it, it's not here."

She huffed impatiently as she stared up toward the top of the curtained tent, leaving Colin to stare majestically at the soft glow that escaped the top of her face until she closed her eyes in thought, finally shaking her head as she spun back toward the table. She pulled the crystal ball off and lowered it to the ground, placing her hands on the table before her.

"Teldrassil. It's a giant-ass tree up at the northernmost part of Kalimdor. Surely you've heard mention of it?"

Colin shook his head, slightly embarrassed.

Aquarose tilted her head, showing a pithy smirk before exposing the palm of her hand atop the table, "Well, Pitwin likes to sell me as some evil druid who peddles sinister spells, so I guess I might as well show you one, unpaying customer. Look at my hand."

Colin leaned forward, clutching onto the table to steady himself as Aquarose reached over with her other hand, beginning to draw, delicately, with her index finger atop her open palm. Colin's eyes grew wide as a vision of sorts miraculously appeared in her hand, like a mirror, but instead of looking back at him, it showed a lush, green environment unlike anything he'd ever seen down here in Duskwallow.

Aquarose smirked devilishly as Colin's jaw slowly dropped in awe, though she continued her presentation, her finger scrawling quicker and quicker atop her hand as the vision moved quicker and quicker. The moving picture strode quickly down a single cobblestone path, giving rise to a massive wall covered in vine-y strands of flower petals, Colin's eyes nearly glowing themselves as he saw the majestic gates of a massive-

She quickly tore her hand away, clenching it into a fist before waving it desperately in the air as if shaking a handful of dice, a gentle green glow escaping through her fingers as her lips pulled to the side in modest resignation.

"Sorry, that's about as far as I can show you. Any more and the Circle will know I'm screwing around up there," she giggled, rubbing her hand across her robes.

Colin watched her seriously, "Th-That was actually…"

"Actual sight? As in not a vision? Yes," she grinned, "You might as well have had eyes up there. I know Malfurion can do something similar, though with every one of your senses; I'm not even close to breathing the same air as that man, so that's about as far as I go, especially with no teachers."

She shrugged, grinning childishly, "Such is the life on an apostate, I suppose."

Colin leaned back, dumbfounded, as Aquarose smiled, returning her crystal ball back to the table, throwing a wink his way, "Well, you got to see my "druidic wonders". For free, no less. Now scoot on out of here before Pitwin catches wind of our little exchange. He won't want to know I risked him getting a visit from a being five times his size."

She smirked as she waved him out, watching him as he stood up to leave, catching him still staring at her, her smirk turning mischievous, "It's impolite to stare, no matter what race you are."

"O-Oh, s-sorry," was all Colin could manage as he stood there, now quickly managing to work his way out of the tent, "Th-Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Aquarose muttered, "And cut that nervousness out, Colin."

Feeling a sudden blush, he nodded as he pulled the curtains back to leave, pausing again as Aquarose finished up, "I'm Nytyura, by the way. Nytyura Wildwhisper. Having that mess above the door- Pitwin figured it wouldn't test well with customers."

Colin watched her until the curtain closed up in front of him, allowing him the chance to pull himself away from what he had seen, stepping backward as he looked up above the tent, noticing the sign this time: "Druid Aquarose! Mystic of the Earth and Forest!". He remained there, staring upward, until his father's voice finally broke through to him.

"Colin! There you are!" Cort spoke up, excitedly, keeling over to catch his breath, "Well, I found something, so let's get you on back home, okay? I have to come back; I'll be working late, so you'll have to keep an eye on the house. Can you do that?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"That's my boy," Cort replied, excitedly, grinning with that same bright smile from that morning.

He held onto Colin's shoulder, leading him down the dock, though the boy couldn't help but look over his shoulder, back toward the turquoise tent that stood out so well against the drab brown of the dock. He couldn't very well make heads or tails over what had been more beautiful- Aquarose or the 'vision' he had seen.


	31. Ursoc Turned Away

Kyra felt her knuckles beginning to burn from how tightly she was gripping her sword, holding her hands out wide while her body stayed low, remaining defensive as she eyed the massive, ethereal ursine that shook the earth as it paced around her in a circle, eyeing her with sadistic, almost psychotic rage. Without breaking eye contact, Kyra reached down with her free hand as her knee gave way to allow her to reach lower to grab a tuft of Colin's hair, quickly running her hand down to allow her to check his pulse.

"YOU!" the bear shouted, its jaws remaining locked as its voice blew like a hurricane toward Kyra, "I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU ELVES! I'D HAVE THOUGHT YOU'D HAVE THE SENSE TO REMAIN FAR FROM THESE LANDS!"

Kyra remained silent, though she returned to her proper stance, comforted my Colin's continued pulse, slightly envious of his current state in some other world that this one, which seemed so much more deadly, now, than it had been. The humungous bear began stepping toward the two of them, forcing Kyra to make a choice to either stand her ground or pull back and hope this ghostly beast was offering her a chance to run off. Easily, she grabbed down at Colin's robe, pulling him back along with her as she started back, earning a sneering retort from the beast.

" _NOW_ YOU DECIDE TO LEAVE THESE HALLOWED GROUNDS?!" the beast shouted, forcing the nearby trees even to shake, "PERHAPS I SHOULD BE MORE CONVINCING!"

He immediately hopped into a charging stance, forcing Kyra's eyes wide in shock as she let go of Colin, instead grasping her sword with both hands as she pinned herself against the dirt at her feet, prepared to resist as she spoke back, bitterly, "By the power of Cenarius, you _will_ let us-!"

"HA!" the bear paused, scoffing aloud, "YOU THINK I ANSWER TO THE BEING WHO SENT MY BROTHER TO HIS DEATH?! I SPIT AT SUCH AN INSINUATION!"

Kyra's spine felt a chill run down it as she realized just who she was standing before. It was no mere spirit, she just now was able to figure- this was _the_ spirit of these lands. She held back a nervous knot at her throat as she quickly reached back down to grasp ahold of Colin's robes, a primal fear beginning to form inside her chest as she suddenly began pulling his lifeless body back with her, allowing the beast to continue stepping toward the two of them.

"IF YOU PLEDGE YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO THAT VILE PIT OF FILTH, THERE ARE NO OTHER WORDS!" the beast shouted, venomously, "I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD AS AN OFFERING TO MY DEAR B-"

"Ursoc!"

Just as Kyra tugged at Colin, her back ran right up against a massively strong hide, forcing her to fall to the side, whipping her sword up above her to defend herself from whatever had come up from behind. Her eyes only shot wide as she realized that she'd fallen right out from underneath the Great Stag standing right above her, his eyes drawn clearly along the clearing toward Ursoc himself, the bear less than enthused by his being called out by the Old God.

"HOW DARE YOU DEFEND THIS UNRULY-"

"Ursoc," Cenarius spoke up, his hushed words turning the bursts of wind caused by Ursoc's shouting to be turned right back toward him, "I'd have done the same for you. We are not your enemies; nobody is. Who would be foolish enough to challenge this grizzly champion?"

"THEM!" Ursoc challenged, yanking his head in Kyra's direction, the night elf simply sitting there in shock beside her human companion.

Cenarius began, calmly, almost soothingly, as he reached a hand down to hold against Kyra's back, causing her to nearly shudder in intense, reverent stigmata at his touch, "Ursoc, look at us. How many moons we've roamed this world. We're both grizzled and old; you think your brother would have you kill these two for nothing more than an example to others?"

Ursoc's breath sneered, unable to form a response at the uttering of his brother's name, almost cowering in respect for the brother he no longer had. Cenarius let go of Kyra as he stepped forward, his hooves leaving small trails of sprouting life from his very footsteps, while Ursoc remained where he stood, eyeing the Stag lowly.

"You've fought under many moons, my brother," Cenarius muttered comfortingly, "It's time you pick them more than you fight in them. Let these two go."

Ursoc grumbled quietly, almost in defiance, though he lowered his head to the ground, respectfully, his paws sliding back as he surrendered his position, "Next time…"

"I assure you," Cenarius replied, almost with an archaic chuckle that seemed lost to the winds, "You've warned these two more than was due. Right, my child?"

Kyra didn't reply, still in awe of the fact that she was being addressed, at all, by the Great Stag, though she did manage the slightest of nods before Cenarius smiled, easily, toward his ethereal peer, "As I said."

Ursoc turned, slowly, before his pounding steps began to grow more and more shallow, his visage suddenly beginning to fade until a slight wind blew through the clearning, pulling his glowing body into the breeze, dispersing out into the wild zephyr that surrounded these hills in a never ending cycle.

Kyra's eyes shook, still in awe, as Cenarius turned himself, his face creaking to the side like a living tree as he eyed her with eyes as soft as still pools of water, his legs slowly approaching her and Colin as if knowing he was emitting something of an intimidating presence and was trying to adjust it. His eyes went from Kyra down toward the human at her knees, his eyes narrowing curiously at the sight.

"You normally don't see humans out here," he wondered, curiously, aloud, "But then again, he's no ordinary human, is he? And you're no ordinary child of the Kaldorei, are you?"

"I… I…" Kyra stammered, much to Cenarius' amusement.

"There, there," he assured her, stopping at her side, "I'll aide you in getting your companion out of here, safely. Not that Ursoc will be following you, but there are trolls about- and their Loa. While he should be the mightiest of them all, there are plenty more Loa than Ursine guardians."

He chuckled at the thought, "Though, for many eons, the Loa have been under the impression that, no matter how many of _them_ there are, Ursoc would still quell them. I'm sure he's done nothing to cause them a change in opinion, either."

The Old God shook his head amusedly, reaching down to grab Colin, as Kyra surely wasn't moving to do so, resting the human's body back atop his bestial mantle, gently allowing him to rest over either side of his body. Cenarius than began to walk off, not bothering to take Kyra's attention, simply making his way out of the forest until the night elf finally snapped back to reality, turning toward the leaving God and jumping to her feet, rushing to his side with a quickened pace.

"Ah, so it's true what my old mentor says," Cenarius grinned, lightly, "Where one goes, the other truly is sure to follow."

* * *

Colin sat atop his bed, pulling his blanket farther up the top sheets to prepare for the colder weather that was sure to follow deeper I to the night. His mother had been adamant about him doing so back during the beginning of the cold season, and while he found it tiresome to deal with the thicker blanket, he ultimately enjoyed the comforting warmth it provided as he curled up in bed.

His mother had promised to bring him a glass of warm milk before bed, so he simply pulled the blankets up his legs, remaining sitting up as he looked out his window, watching the pale gray moonlight run down the distance of the city, beyond even where these ramshackle houses ended and the more well-to-do resided. He still hadn't seen his father, and had surmised that he would, indeed, go another night not knowing when he would return. So it went, oftentimes.

Klara peeked into the room to check if Colin had remained awake, entering the room upon confirming him as being so. His eyes remained out the window, unaware of her presence until she sat on the edge of his bed, his head slowly turning to watch as she handed him a short mug of steaming milk.

"Your father will be out late," she confirmed, as if knowing what he was thinking, "He and I talked before he went off to work. Everything will be alright, though."

While Colin had accepted the mug, he hadn't taken a drink yet, instead simply staring down into the swirling liquid as he gently moved the thick glass in his hands, "Will you go back to work, too?"

"Hmm, probably," she answered, feigning excitement as she we t on, "But that means I can probably work on a new knitted cap for you for the winter. Neat, huh?"

Colin frowned as he lowered his head, "I guess."

His mother sighed as she reached over to rub his shoulder, "I know it's not ideal. You'd prefer having us both around more often. One of these days, I promise; we'll all be able to be together more often. Maybe go travel and explore and everything. You see too much of that stuff out on the docks; I know you want nothing more than to see it all with your own eyes!"

She had turned excited, but seeing Colin's still downturned face made her frown once more as she went on, instructing, "Why don't you go on and drink your milk. You'll feel better afterward."

Colin continued staring down into his mug, distantly, before his eyes finally perked up, turning up just enough to see his mother, "Why won't you use magic?"

She turned to him, surprised, "What?"

"You know, what you and dad keep talking about behind my back like I'm a baby who doesn't understand what you two are talking about," Colin shrugged, leaning back as if expecting a retort from his mother, rather than an answer.

Instead of either of those, she was more taken aback, even to the point where she turned to stare out the window into the moonlight as Colin went on, "I mean, I know that's why you didn't want dad taking me along on that job. If I understood some of what you two talked about, maybe I wouldn't blow something up without even knowing what I was doing."

Klara sighed, turning to her young son with a glib frown, "You know, you're far too persuasive for a child your age."

She slid off the bed onto her feet, turning back around as she knelt down at the side of the bed, leaning her arms atop the mattress before speaking up, "Arcane magic isn't something you can just have a hobby in. If you want to do more than light a fire, you need to make a life long dedication to one of the magerial orders or schools. That's why I didn't want you getting into it."

Sighing, she rested her chin on her hand, "Maybe I've just been selfish. I just didn't want you going away and never seeing you again."

Colin frowned, "I'd have come back, mom."

"No, you wouldn't have," she muttered, her eyes flickering up to meet his, "Mages aren't allowed out of their orders until they've studied for twenty-five or so years. Your father thought it would be a great opportunity for you, but I…"

Sighing again, she frowned, "Maybe we should have made it your choice. Tell you what; you're a big boy now, huh? How about we make a deal. I'll teach you some of what I learned from my parents. In a year, if you want to go off and become a mage…well, that'll be up to you."

Colin watched her, almost frightened of such a foreign idea, but she was quick to quell his fears with a sincerely warm smile, "You don't have to decide right this moment. But if you ever get the idea…"

She snapped her finger, a sudden burst of ozone erupting from her finger as a steady flame appeared there, causing Colin to jump in surprise. He watched, more curiously than anything, shocked at seeing his mother performing something so incredibly esoteric, much like the night elf hed seen earlier in the day. The smile sort of smile he saw on his father at his proudest moments, he now saw on his mother, though her's was far more subdued, as if she was trying her best not to admit, to herself, that she found such joy in what she had inherited from her parents.

Colin hoped, now, that he could have the same sort of smile one day.


	32. A Question of the Aspects

_**A/N: I'm well aware that the mechanics and existential behavior of the Dragon Aspects would be HIGHLY BORING for many readers, and for that, I apologize xD All I can say is that this chapter has a second part that might be more interesting for you and, for the first time in a few chapters, advances the plot. I do say that in jest- yes, the story has stopped for story/character stuff (I strongly felt that Ysera's motives needed more explanation) and while Colin's flashbacks to his childhood were probably boring, they are for a purpose that will become clear sooner than later.**_

 _ **This is still getting views, so I hope there are people still keeping up/interested in it! This stuff is, literally, what interests me the most from Warcraft- when I started this, I wanting a love story and something to do with the Dragon Aspects, and by now, I've pretty much done what I've wanted xD So yes, we're heading for the ending from here on out, so I hope you all enjoy the ride!**_

 _ **If you're still waiting for the love scenes, you're not alone- I started writing one in my head the other day and was all "No! They're literally in the exact wrong place for that!". Especially since I'm still reading up on Warcraft lore and coming up with even more symbolism to go along with it all. Ugh.**_

* * *

Over the course of their traveling together, Kyra Shadowmoon's reverence had wanted toward a massive sort of general respect toward Cenarius, particularly due to his continued speaking. As if he were wholly unaware of his status, Cenarius just went along as if talking to an old friend, even asking Kyra rather personal questions relating to her family. It soon occurred to her that, as far as he was aware, she and her family were fairly known to the Old God, simply by virtue, she figured, of them being gods in general. She then wondered about the very idea of him asking questions in the first place, though he seemed to catch on, quick, to her inquiry.

" _Such_ questions," he mused, looking down toward her with a grandfatherly smile.

Kyra blushed, as if unknowingly offending him, "S-Sorry."

Chuckling with a warmth that radiated from his body, Cenarius shook his head, "My child, do not apologize. I'm merely asking questions for your sake. Well, to a point. If I remained high and mighty, that might very well defeat the purpose of my very life, sort of being a bridge between you beings and those like my father."

He shrugged, helplessly, "I see other gods take to haughtiness and it saddens me. Ursoc would enjoy life more if he embraced it, though I understand why he chooses not to do so."

Looking down toward Kyra, he asked, graciously, "So if I were to ask about your father, I do know that he is alive, in relatively good health, and that he has shed the bonds he carried by the feet of the Illidari. What I do _not_ know is how you might answer, dear Kyra, which may not add to my knowledge of your father, but will certainly allow me to know how you feel about him, his life, and your lives together."

Kyra nodded, reverently, noticing her posture straightening as if she'd just been scolded, though after a moment of silence, Cenarius grinned, reaching a limbed hand out to direct her, lovingly, "That was your cue to answer, child."

"O-Oh!" she replied, surprised, continuing on quickly, "W-Well, my whole family has had a lot of healing to do; what with my brother and all. My father has taken it in stride; I admire his ability to…I guess, his ability to be so loving while also offering a firm, guiding hand. Though, I suppose that's always been the case. Mother was always the authoritative one, but even she, you know- I'm still shocked that she'd taken to Colin as easily as she has."

"That surprises you?"

Kyra's brow sank as she thought deeply, "Well… With all of the kids, she was so emotionally distant. Not that she was anything less than a great mother, but there was always a sort of disconnect; I always figured it was due to her time in the Shadowleaves; she just had it ingrained in her. But father was always the loving of the two, at least more so."

"Hmm," Cenarius groaned in thought, "And how is it different with Dumerval?"

"Well, I mean," Kyra scratched her head gently, "She just seems to be more willing to being that sort of loving parent that father always was."

Cenarius inquired, sincerely, "Perhaps she's making up for the guilt she feels over your eldest brother?"

"What?"

The Old God chuckled, "Just the musings of an old soul, but perhaps she feels her lack of emotion led, in some way, to your brother turning away?"

Kyra's eyes narrowed critically, quickly looking up toward Cenarius with a quick response, "Is that the correct reason?"

The Old God began to bellow with laughter, sending gusts of winds out from all around him, catching Kyra's hair and sending it fluttering in every direction until she quickly caught it with her hands. Cenarius quickly apologized in the middle of his outburst, though went on with loud, disjointed aftershocks of laughter before finally stopping, his voice taking on a lighter air to it.

"My child, I may know the workings of the world, but imagine the chaos if I went around spouting off such things!" he amusingly relayed, grinning widely down toward Kyra, "Though, as a sort of 'bridge' between this world and the others surrounding it, I'm not exactly _above_ offering insight when it's needed."

Kyra's eyes lowered suspiciously, though she was careful to respectfully keep her head turned away as she did so, asking lowly as if to feign ignorance where it not heard, "Is that why you're here..?"

His booming voice breaking her vein of silence, Cenarius replied warmly enough, "Ha ha! Was is not you who called to my power for aid?"

"Many men have who have met with worse fates…" Kyra noted, gravely.

Cenarius breathed, sending a cool breeze flowing through the woods, "Well, my child, even you are aware of the unnatural circumstances that surround you. or your mate, as it were. I can't help but offer some insight in penance for my mentor's errancy."

Kyra turned to stare up at him as he reached up, massaging his chin in reconciliation, "Hmm… I loathe that word. In my mentor's _imminence_ , I suppose would be more appropriate of a term."

"Mentor…" Kyra wondered aloud, attempting to recall her labyrinthine historical knowledge that she'd neglected in the last year.

Cenarius only chuckled, as if confused by her inability to simply ask, "Your _Emerald Lady_."

Holding back a shocked expression, Kyra stopped in her tracks, whipping her head toward Cenarius as she spoke up, loudly, "Did she send you with something to tell us?!"

The massive elken body continued moving along as Cenarius chuckled, "Jumping to conclusions is not becoming of a Silverwing, I imagine? To answer your question, no, she has sent me, as you say. As I said, _you_ were the one who invoked my name, and in the spirit of tackling two birds with a single grasp, I figured I would aid you while also offering some insight to one of the Wild Gods of this land."

His face visibly turned distant as Kyra began toward him, again, to catch up, his voice lowering while his eyes slowly peered low toward her, "Or three birds. were I to offer some insight into my mentor's mindset. I imagine, especially given everything that transpired last year, she has been rather unable to reveal much of anything in the way of revelation."

Kyra's brow furrowed angrily, "I understand, quite well, that her promises are not exactly what I would expect of a demigod."

"And what would a mere mortal know of what is to be expected of the Dreamweaver?" Cenarius spoke, rather heatedly, though with the sort of instructive air that accompanied an elder, "She offers your mate something as extravagant as immortality and you dare to question who she must question for such things?"

Rebuffed, Kyra lowered her head regretfully, though Cenarius immediately released a deep sigh, reaching down to push a gentle hand against her shoulder, "I understand your spirit, child. That is why I have come to make things rather clearer for you two, for I want nothing more than my mentor to see her works bear fruit after all is said and done."

Hearing this great being speak, Kyra suddenly realized that she knew very little of what had gone on between her mate and these gods, and understood even less, it seemed. Considering that, as far as Colin and she were aware, he had attained his goal of immortality, and as such, not much was questioned in the last year. They would include the name of Ysera with the prayers to Elune that Kyra would teach to Colin, but given Ysera's demise at the had of Xavius-

"Is it because she ceased to exist in this realm?!" Kyra asked, as if coming to an earthshattering conclusion, though Cenarius only grinned, rather childishly.

"Very astute, young one, and though that's part of it, its only half of the equation, so to speak," he explained, his head tilting as he po deer's for a moment, "Actually, it is, indeed, half."

For the first time since he'd begun walking, Cenarius stopped in his tracks, crossing his arms as he spoke up, the ground beneath his unmoving hooves bursting to life continuously, with insects bursting into existence and flowers sprouting further and further out from his attatchmenrs to the earth below. He narrowed his eyes as he thought to himself, less for incredulity's sake and more so thinking of how to explain such esoteric ideas as he looked down upon Kyra's curious stare.

"My mentor is the Dreamweaver, correct? Well, that's only half of what it means for these gods to commune with the beings of this world. The other half is her sister, the Life Binder. In these two beings, all life is encompassed," he paused, closing his eyes.

Kyra felt the wind around them suddenly turn still, almost unsettlingly so, as if all life around them had…paused. Cenarius breathed deeply, speaking with closed eyes as he went on, much to Kyra's apprehension, given the air around them.

"Alexstraza relates to the physical forms of life, as well as the world around them. Even your home, Teldrassil, owes its current prosperity to her blessing, even if she did not do so from its beginning. See, the Life Binder is very methodical, seeing things very much in black and white; to equate it to your situation, the idea of offering such a gift as immortality to a single being, that would be an abomination to all that life is, and were she to offer it to one being, where would it stop? Your people have already demonstrated that having immortality does not necessitate good will."

Cenarius paused, noticing Kyra's downturned expression at the thought, though he continued on, smiling softly as if to comfort her, "Ysera, however, would be the one within that gray space between the two extremes Alexstraza inhabits. The Emerald Lady relates to all living being's thoughts, wishes, desires, aspirations. She knows what they're capable of, what holds them back, what drives them to the edges of insanity, even how far they're willing to go for things such as love, renown, or power."

He quietly went on, lowly, "Despite what Ysera wished for your companion, here, she could not have wished to do so without her sister's agreement."

Kyra glanced up to him curiously, "Then why promise something she would be unable to assure?"

Cenarius sighed, wondrously, "I've thought over that for quite some time. For one so easily able to know the thoughts of mortals, knowing the thoughts of gods, particularly the one who mentored _me_ , is another ordeal."

His eyes lit up, curiously, as he opened them back up to the world, the life surrounding them suddenly bursting back into motion, "I believe that it might have been her plan all along, to be honest."

"Her plan?!" Kyra shouted back, loudly, "I watched him lay for nearly two weeks hovering between life and death, all due to a promise she didn't intend to keep?!"

"Must I remind you how different her mind's eye is to yours? Had these events not even began to transpire, would've you even had this human to have and hold?" Cenarius asked, critically, "Were it not for Ascal's flight from Moonglade, you would still be serving in Ashenvale at this moment. Your parents would have still be atop Mount Hyjal, possibly with your father having died- Would you so easily say this promise, true or not, was worthless?"

Kyra sighed, "No… No, not at all. I was just-"

"Hasty, as you tend to be at times, I know," the god grinned, looking inward as he began to walk along once again, Kyra following along after reaching up toward Cenarius' back, running her hand along Colin's shoulders as he passed by.

"Why did she even choose us?" Kyra wondered aloud, sadly, her eyes sinking at the thought of losing the man who had become so much of her world.

Cenarius answered easily, "Who's to say? Perhaps she doesn't even know. No matter who she had chosen, this portion of their lives would seem so much like the beginning of a new story in their lives. That being said, if you're wondering as to why she set this chain of events in motion to begin with…"

He turned quiet for a moment, running a hand along his chin as he seemingly stared off into the nether, "The Aspects were not always gods; that much I can say. Eonar chose them and brought them up to their godly forms, but I believe that, perhaps intentionally, their former mortal selves allow them all a figment of consideration when putting their feet in human or elven shoes. That's being said, I wouldn't be surprised if other things still remain…"

"I believe, after spending so many millennia being among so many dreams, my mentor, quite naïve one might say, seems to have become quite enamored with certain aspects of mortal life that she may or may not be able to experience herself, choosing, for either reason, to view it vicariously. Especially now, given her…more spectral existence," Cenarius finished, sadly.

Kyra looked off into the distance, "Hold on; you're saying we were chosen because-"

"You were not chosen, remember; though it might not be too far off to suggest that the Emerald Lady is rather intrigued by how far two people are able to be torn asunder while remaining bound to one another."

Nearly rolling her eyes, Kyra groaned, "Sounds like a game to me."

"Does it, now?" Cenarius grinned, wryly, "She has offered your mate the opportunity to defeat time itself in order to remain at your side and you refer to that as a game? You mortals, sometimes…"

Kyra's shoulders shrunk, "You know what I mean…"

"That's nothing to say of what she has in store for your old friend, Ascal," Cenarius nodded, "I have my suspicious as to why she's involved with _you_ two, but as for _him_ …I can't say for sure. Perhaps she doesn't know either. As long as they're inevitably bound to their origins as mere proto-dragons, they ultimately, though damped over the millennia, retain quite some bits of mortal emotions, curiosities, among other things. The Emerald Lady, particularly, perhaps because of her place among dreams, seems to be far more attuned to such things."

"So," Kyra began once again, noticing Cenarius' slowing pace, "Where does that put the two of us?"

"Well, my child, I can't very well meddle in your affairs," he spoke in reply with a serious expression, though in a quick moment, his lips crept up into a smirk as his eyes slanted down toward Kyra, "Though, at this point, if your mate sees immortality in front of him, I would suggest he simply go for it. Take it. My mentor will take care to ensure his safety…I hope."

He came to a full stop not long after speaking, looking off into the thickening underbrush, "Here is where I must leave you. I hope I haven't bored you, child."

"N-Not at all!" Kyra replied in reverence, quickly rushing to the Great Stag's side to retrieve Colin from his back.

He chuckled, reaching back to help pull Colin's body from off his elken hide, "Good. Now, you promised to protect this man, correct?"

Without a thought, Kyra nodded, "I did. Wholeheartedly."

"Then I suggest you keep a more serious eye on him," Cenarius muttered amusedly, "My mother seems to be quite fond of this one. Even if he may still be unsure of such things, you're not the only moon watching over him."

As Kyra pulled Colin's body from Cenarius' back onto her shoulders, the God released his grip, allowing the back of his hand to run along Colin's cheek, a sharp chill running down the Stag's hide, nearly causing him to shiver. He nodded respectfully as his body was alleviated of the physical weight, recognizing Elune's touch against his skin.

"Yes…" he whispered, more to himself, before speaking up to Kyra, "Take care on your way back, child. You'll need it."

Kyra nodded authoritatively, "Yes sir! On my reputation as a Silverwing."

"Good," he grinned in reply.

And with that, just as Ursoc had done, Cenarius spun away before walking off into the thick forest, a sudden, dense mist quickly surrounding him as he faded from view, leaving Kyra alone to stare into the nothingness around every side of her. She turned to where Cenarius had previously been walking, continuing along as she held her mate over her shoulders, easily, taking care not to stumble or make any step of hers any bit uncomfortable for either of them.

* * *

Ulric's eyes shot open as a sudden chill ran though his body, pushing himself up off the muddy ground beneath him onto his hands and knees, looking around rapidly in a confused, hazy state of mind. All he remembered was running through the woods, after Shadowmoon, he recalled, though his mind went blank after thinking of the blur of trees all around him as he rushed through the forest. He vaguely recalled tripping and hitting the ground when, suddenly, a sharp pain rushed across his face as he quickly threw his hand up to hold himself there, trying to quell the sharp pain while also surveying his surroundings.

His eyes shook worriedly as the Grizzly Hills had turned into a dark, purple hole in the ground, the ground mired in filthy mud, forcing Ulric to quickly attempt to push himself to his feet, though when his lower limbs fails to respond, he simply fell back into the pile muck, his teeth gritting as he came to the realization as to what had happened to him. He suddenly turned his head, looking around desperately before finally eyeing a small pathway that led out of this pit that resembled something like the inside of a cave system, him being in a dead-end.

"Come out!" he shouted, angrily, his teeth still bared, "Get the fuck out here!"

As the muck beneath him began to churn, a collection of fingers slowly appeared from the pathway, clutching at the wall as it pulled the rest of its owner's being closer into Ulric's sight until he finally saw two ugly, long spires of horns appearing from around the corner, followed by two demonic eyes that illuminated a cackling grin from beneath them, the entire face of this being having come into view.

"Y' rang?" the demon lipped, its face turning sinisterly as it watched Ulric squirm on the ground.

The human grunted loudly as he battled the muck beneath him without use of his legs, grabbling with the ground in an attempt to push himself away from the filth that clung onto him, "Why did you bring me here this time?!"

The demon's face immediately turned a shade of crimson as its sinister crick on its face turned into a dramatic, saddened frown, "I was just cheekin' up on ya. Y' know, I git whirred about ya at times. Espec'lly when I'm stuck down here and you're, ya know, enjoyin' life 'n all."

Ulric immediately recognized this being's guilt trip, pausing his struggle as the demon exposed the rest of its lithe body, walking toward Ulric as its demonic face twisted and turned as anger bubbled up from within him, "Enjoyin' life…AND NOT DOIN' WHAT WE AGREED!"

In a second, Ulric's body flew up into the air and smashed against the wall, his body exploding into a gasp as the wind was knocked out of him, the muck still collected around his body, holding him against the wall. His body went limp as it hung there, his lungs desperately attempting to catch up as the demon's satyr body entered the only source of light in the room, a purplish sort of light coming from a single hole in the wall. Ulric's breaths wailed pathetically as his face winced in pain, which seemed to amuse the demon.

"Glad t' see yer experiencing _somethin'_ micrascopic to all the terture I've endured," the satyr's eyes drew forward viciously, "Now, why do ya finally have 'n ace in the hole, yet yer not-"

"I know," Ulric breathed laboriously, "Fuck, I know, Aerxaxx."

The satryr's eyes drew deep into Ulric's face, critically, before his head spun sideways, his ugly teeth showing as he gave a sort of growl while speaking, "See that ya do, human… If you deesplease me much further, I have no probl'm ripping that god damned snout outta yer face myself."

"You gave me a human," Ulric continued, breathing shakily as he hung there, feeling his breaths grow more and more shallow as his brain constricted, "I'll get you a dragon."

The satyr, Aerxaxx, seemed pleased as he leaned away from Ulric, shrugging quickly and allowing the muck to fall to the ground, Ulric's body following suit as he failed to brace himself, simply hitting the ground head-first, laying there as his arms crawled up to check on himself as his body shook from lack of oxygen. Aerxaxx cocked his head back as he turned away, strutting toward the hallway with a lowly scoff at the state Ulric was in.

"You sh'uld feel so lucky," Aerxaxx sneered, dismissively, as he exited the room, "Me allowin' you to serve me while gettin' yer revenge at the s'me time. I swear…"

Ulric collected himself, his entire body quaking in pain, still unable to move aside from pulling his body along the ground from his elbows, his body still covered in mud. His fist clenched angrily as he eyed the way out of this room that he would be bound to as long as he remained in the service of this demon, the satyr, Aerxaxx. Blood began pouring from between his fingers as his nails tore through his skin, his face sneering.

He'd get out of here soon enough. Telling himself that was all he could do to keep crawling, again and again, out of the room.


	33. A Heightening Pressure

Colin's eyes began to open, lazily, as the ephemeral haze began to wane the further his body was taken out of the forest. His sight first came to him before his feeling of touch did, and for a moment, all he could tell was that the ground beneath him was rolling along in front of his face, leaving him slightly disoriented until a slight popping cane through his eardrums, his sense of balance thrown off, teeteringly, as he suddenly pulled at his arms to brace himself. He was shocked when they didn't respond, though he could tell that they were being held back, rather than being without feeling, and in the next moment, he could tell that he was atop of somebody's shoulders.

"Morning," came Kyra's slightly strained voice, though she did her best to remain neutral.

"K-Kyra?!" Colin shouted incredulously as his head whipped back and forth, quicker ascertaining that she had, indeed, been carrying him atop her shoulders.

She grew a crooked grin as if she were bragging, "Silverwings _are_ required to carry their nightsabers, should the need arise, you know."

"I-I know _now_!" Colin replied, still in shock, before he pulled at his arms once more to free himself.

Quick to shake her head, Kyra leaned forward enough to disorient Colin so that he'd stop struggling, "Quit it; I don't want to drop you."

"Then let me down; I can walk just fine," Colin pleaded, growing increasingly embarrassed, "Some hunter's going to think I'm your fresh kill!"

"Oh, is _that_ it?" Kyra wryly muttered in retort, peering at him over her shoulder, "Sure it's not for any other reason? I thought you enjoyed me being more dominant."

"Y-Yeah, but this is-" he stammered, trying to save face as his face reddened, both from embarrassment and blood flow.

Kyra smirked, "I kind of like the idea of you emulating my fresh kill. I mean, I _do_ know how tasty you are."

Finally relinquished to his fate, Colin went limp with a distant groan, admitting defeat with a weakened air, "Okay, you win."

He felt a sudden shaking beneath him as Kyra managed to laugh with his weight atop of her, stealing another glance over her shoulder, "Sorry. It's just nice to tease around like normal for once.

Colin smiled, "Yeah, I know what you mean. This whole journey has been one thing after anoth- Hang on, what happened to that beast?!"

"The one that snuck up on us?" Kyra asked, knowingly, "Oh, it's no big deal; Cenarius showed up and helped us out."

She spoke with such ease that Colin's eyes nearly leapt from his face in abyssal amazement, "W-Wait, you just said Cenarius- Is that a local lumberjack or Northern beast that was even bigger, or-?"

Kyra grinned up toward him as her ear flickered to life, quickly looking into the dense forest ahead as she began to hear the tell-tale signs of a body flying through the thick underbrush toward them, her ears even able to tell her that whomever it was bore the same shape and swiftness as her elder sister. She paused her steps, lowering her body so that Colin could stand on his own, though after an immediate, heavy sway, she kept ahold of his arm to steady him.

"I'm pretty sure that's Vylira just now," Kyra nodded, much to Colin's continuing surprise, "Don't worry; I'll let you know what's up before-"

She suddenly paused as she heard two more presences behind Vylira, and knowing that these two were most likely Syheath and the blood elf, she immediately took care with her words, lest they be heard. She held on to Colin as she walked along, watching his feet as he slowly managed his own pace. Even he had begun to hear the rustling before them as he stared down at the ground, and as it broke through the final plane of branches, Colin's heart sank as the voice of Syheath broke through to them.

The younger elf crashed angrily into the ground as she slid to a stop, though continuing her motion as she approached the two of them, her face twisted in fury, " _What's_ up, woman?! You better not be admitting to bringing us out here simply to have us killed!"

Kyra's eyes grew wide as she stared at Syheath, her focus too disoriented by her sister's words that she suddenly realized that, if that human, Ulric, was also among the three chasers, Vylira may just as easily not be among them. She felt a twinge of unsurity rush through her legs as Syheath approached her, even closer, throwing a hand out and shoving Kyra's shoulder.

"Talk!" she shouted, angrily, hardly enough noticing Colin to her sister's side.

As such, Colin's voice caused her to jump, slightly, in surprise, "Shadowmoon, we weren't up to anything. We were simply talking and got carried away; everything's alright, see?"

He drew his hand downward as if presenting their bodies, showing that they hadn't any injuries, nor had anything on them that was suspicious, "What have we to gain from turning against your group?"

"Oh, she's got _plenty_ to gain!" Syheath shouted as she shoved her sister again, though this time, Kyra resisted as her mind flooded back to her.

As Syheath drew another offensive motion toward her, Kyra immediately drew her own hand, grasping Syheath's wrist and spinning around, throwing Syheath to the ground, though the older of the two was quick to return to her feet with a seething rage emanating from her snarling teeth. Kyra released a defiant breath through her nose as she prepared to counter her sister, but as Syheath charged in her direction, Colin managed to throw himself into her path, colliding with Syheath and miraculously remaining on his feet as she broke into his balance.

"Hey! Cut it out, you two!" he shouted, though as Kyra had noticed him struggling to remain standing, she quickly rushed up to support him, even frowning as she made contact with her sister.

Syheath was less than cooperative as she snarled back, "The only thing that's gonna be cut is my fucking throat if she's allowed to do as she pleases! I know that look on her face- she thinks she's better than me; it's always been the case."

Kyra scoffed, shaking her head, "As if you were worth the trouble."

As if taking this rejection of ill-intent just as poorly as the last, Syheath shoved her weight into Colin as she threw her arms around him in an attempt at grabbing ahold of her sister, her heated breath reminding Colin so well of that time in Ban'ethil Hollow. He quickly tried to separate the two of them, but in a second, a heavy *THUD* hit the ground and the voice of Vylira broke through the confrontation.

"HEY!" she shouted, angrily, quickly approaching the three of them, her voice in authoritative fury as she grasped ahold of Syheath and yanked her away as Colin held onto the youngest of the three, "I'm not about to-!"

Syheath whipped her body around to try and escape her sister's grasp, angrily shouting back at her, "You'd better let me go!"

Vylira leaned in closer to her ear, "If you don't listen to _me_ , I'll make sure you spend a good, long nap to cool yourself down."

In that second, Parvaen appeared, having drawn his mastadonic dagger, holding it out in Vylira's direction, much to Colin's astonishment at how gradually this situation had escalated, leaving the blood elf to seethe, "Unhand her, or so help me…"

Shadowmoon sneered as she continued tugging at her sister, managing to throw the two of them off balance enough that she fell to a knee as she threw a stare toward Parvaen, "Get her off me!"

As he did what she had ordered, and with Vylira not giving any indication of letting go, Colin immediately released Kyra to allow the both of them to approach the rest of the party, with Kyra aiming her sword toward Parvaen with deep eyes, "Ash karath, sin'dorei scum! Mine's bigger; let's see what happens!"

Although having paused in stride at her threat, Parvaen remained steady as his eyes turned to each of the three of them, his body remaining low and defensive as Shadowmoon's resistant groaning continued as she fought with the stranger. Vylira assessed the situation carefully, not wanting to upset their guides, and quickly lessened her fight, bringing her face as close to Shadowmoon's ear as she could.

"[Call him off, and you're free]," she muttered in Darnassian, causing Shadowmoon to stop as she, too, saw the out, "[We don't need any further trouble, sister.]"

Shadowmoon gradually gave up her fight, though her breaths remained heavy as Vylira reluctantly let her go, allowing the younger of the two to dash away, squaring up beside Parvaen as the blood elf spoke up, quietly, "We'll wait until Ulric shows up; he came too."

As she nodded, Shadowmoon couldn't help but tense up at his words, though she remained defensive as Vylira regained her standing posture, joining up with the two others of her ground, wrapping a hand along Kyra's shoulder as her younger sister leaned her head to the side to listen. Shadowmoon and Parvaen both tensed their ears to hear, though, by the look of deep thought on the human's face, they weren't speaking in any tongue Colin even knew.

All Shadowmoon could make out what the whispering of sounds she couldn't make out, her face turning toward Parvaen with a serious look on her face as she whispered, "Must be some Silverwing thing; I can't make it out."

"They were both Silverwings?" Parvaen asked, almost worriedly.

Not bothering to answer and increase his worry, Shadowmoon merely returned her attention to the other two, though as she did so, she raised her hands, quickly, jumping back as Colin approached her with an outstretched arm.

"What am I gonna to? Take _you_ out?!" Colin questioned, sarcastically, as he dropped his arm, weakly, "Take some, both of you. It's some food; you both look exhausted after coming out here like that."

Offering the small leaf-wrapped blocks of food once again, Shadowmoon eyed him suspiciously while Parvaen reverted to his lower standing, waiting behind Shadowmoon and allowing her to dictate their move, though he couldn't help but allow his eyes to glow with anticipation at the delicious-looking offerings. Shadowmoon noticed Vylira and Kyra both watching Colin with surprise, which seemed good enough to her as she approached the human.

"Thanks," she muttered, weakly, "You know, you really are stupid."

Colin grinned, "Well, if making friends is stupid, I'd hate to be smart. Come on, you too, Parvaen."

At the calling of his name, Parvaen crept up toward Colin, his eyes shimmering as he grabbed ahold of the green delicacy, "By the gods! P-Pine nut bread?"

As if offended by the offer, Kyra frowned as she crossed her arms, turning away in near-disgust as the food of her home passed onto the hand of a blood elf, though she said nothing. Parvaen skittered away as he unwrapped the leaf that surrounded the bread, his lips curling inward expectantly.

"I do remember having some of this in our reserves as a child, but after a short time thereafter, it was all but extinct to my people!" he exclaimed, not sure whether to eat the bread or worship it.

Colin smiled, "Well, eat up; it'll get your strength back. There's no need for any of us to not be civil to one another, especially if we'll be traveling together for some time."

Parvaen eyed him suspiciously as he bit into the bread, his eyes immediately shutting as the wonderful taste consumed his insides, the piney taste immediately returning him to his childhood. Colin shrugged as he chuckled, turning back toward Vylira and Kyra with outstretched arms.

"See?" he spoke up, "Food brings everybody together."

"Yeah, expect demons or any being that 'food' means humanoids," Vylira replied, dryly, "Certain trolls come to mind."

Parvaen eyed her sinisterly, catching the night elf off guard as she returned a neutral glance of her own, "What are you looking at, Sin'-!"

An arrow pierced the air just in front of Vylira's face, her body immediately dropping to a knee as she threw her stare to the stare to examine the underbrush just beyond their sight. The others had done the same, even though Shadowmoon, Parvaen, and Kyra had physical weapons; the three of them taking the fore in watching the deep forest, leaving Colin behind them with flames suddenly whipping up and down his closed fist. Vylira's eyes met his magical ability, suddenly growing wide as her head jumped up as a troll jumped from the treetops, lunging at Shadowmoon, who quickly parried his blow, hopping backward as Parvaen took her place, aggressively throwing his daggered hand toward the vicious guest.

Suddenly, a collection of troll hunters appeared from behind the trees, demonstrating that these elves and human were, indeed, outnumbered. Their jagged, misplaced teeth showed glisteningly in the sun as they cackled aloud at their sudden fortune, the lot of them muttering amongst themselves as they paced around the group in a circle, as if choosing meals. Colin recognized some of their words, though it was far from the same Zandali he knew.

"Godehsi," he muttered aloud, offering something of a greeting, catching the ear of one of the trolls, who paused his steps as he eyed Colin, humorously.

Pointing at the human, the troll turned to his companion, the two uttering some words to one another before the both of them began to cackle in amusement, the first of them shaking his head as if simply dismissing Colin's greeting. Colin's lips curled confusedly as he realized that he was the closest chance the group had to getting out of this, unscarred, anyway.

He looked around, trying to identify the oldest of the group, before speaking further, pointing to himself slowly as he lowered his head, seriously, "Dazdooga."

He pointed to Kyra, and then Vylira, "Bal'a. Wassa'dim."

Returning his finger to himself, he muttered, lowly, nodding his head slowly, "Jang."

Seeming to have understood enough, the troll he'd addressed stopped walking, eyeing Colin curiously as he crossed his arms, "Ackee?"

Colin nodded seriously, "Colin'ju."

At that, the troll grinned widely, chuckling as he ran a hand over his face, shaking his head in disbelief as he turned to his companions to share a few words. Kyra and Vylira both looked over their shoulders in shock, with the latter expressing her amazement.

"What did you say?!" she whispered.

Colin nearly went pale, "That I'm a fire lord. and that I'd protect you two to the death…I think."

Kyra's eyes widened at his explanation, her hand gripping tighter around her sword while Vylira took a much different stance, her eyes growing suspicious as she watched Colin, quickly trying to explain further, nervously, "Look, I'm just buying time. If Ulric shows up, we'll be even numbered."

Shadowmoon overheard him, her ears straining to hear from afar, though the noises of the trolls did a number on her, draining out anything coming from beyond their gullish sneers and laughter. The one Colin had addressed walked toward the group, forcing Kyra and Parvaen to raise their weapons, though Colin quickly held onto Kyra's shoulder to steady her, warily, waiting to see what the troll was doing.

The old troll eyed Kyra critically before looking over toward Colin, "Bal'a? Kaldorei?!"

Colin nodded.

The troll's lips morphed into a disgusting smirk, his teeth popping out from his lips as he looked back down toward Kyra, as if assessing her for whatever reason. Suddenly, the troll swung a massive arm at Kyra, wrapping an arm around her neck and forcing her to the ground as his other arm pinned her sword against the earth. In a mere second further, the other trolls, who'd inexplicably snuck around to the back of the group, instantly grabbed ahold of each member of the party, the extra one quickly grasping onto Vylira, who's voice quickly lunged into a snarl as her face angrily watched the older troll standing atop her youngest sister.

Colin's eye drew wide as his teeth appeared, clenched, as the troll before him cackled with a swift wave of his hand, "No 'ju here, mon. No dazgooga neither. All talk, eh?"

Realizing he hadn't bought his challenge, Colin felt the veins in his arm run hot as he watched the massive troll reach down after kicking away Kyra's sword, grasping a handful of her hair to appraise her as he lifted her up, "More like riva'dim; HA HA! Or even nehjo!"

A burst of flame wrapped along Colin's arm, forcing his personal goon to fall back away from him in shock. He angrily roared under his breath, earning a frightened glare from Vylira as the flames suddenly burst into massive conflagration, covering his entire body, yet not seeming to damage his robes. He lifted his arms as he coiled into a fighting stance, his eyes shooting daggers toward the old troll.

"Get…away…from her," Colin roared deeply, almost as if summoning the very fire from beneath Blackrock Mountain to speak for him.

The troll laughed, "All trick!"

Colin felt the troll behind him grasp around him and begin laughing as he did. While he did have flames surrounding him, they were more projection than anything, he knew; though he also knew that it wasn't the only ability that he had up his sleeve. He quickly threw his arm to the side to escape the troll's arms wrapping around him, before quickly reaching up and shoving his hand in his troll's face, a ball of magma immediately appearing along the assailant's face, an ear-shattering trollish scream breaking through the air as Colin fell backward with his goon, who still managed to hold on to his human prisoner as he fell to the ground.

The leader and his companions all watched in vague horror, with the elder quickly sneering in retort as he set his eyes on Kyra, quickly grabbing ahold of a lengthy knife from his belt, dropping his night elf prize to her knees as he prepared to slit her throat.

In a second, Vylira threw a foot into her troll's knee, forcing him to collapse to the ground as well, allowing her to tear away as she screamed loudly, rushing toward the leader, who quickly threw his head up, suddenly bringing his arms up to grab Vylira's wrist as she threw a punch, the troll pulling her down into a swift kick at her stomach, watching sneeringly as a second night elf fell at his feet.

He reached his dagger up once again, prepared to kill his prize, but in a dazzling flash, a massive object threw itself right into the troll's side, sending him flying along the forest floor, sliding along as the visage of Ulric appeared before him, the human loudly shouting as he rained fists down upon the leader's face.

Colin released himself, jumping to his feet as he summoned a flaming ball of magma, throwing it at Shadowmoon's assailant, sending him falling into a disquieting heap as he clutched his face, forcing the rest of the trolls to abandon their target as they rushed back into the forest, leaving the three straggler's behind. Shadowmoon immediately slammed a foot into her goon, knocking him out before spitting furiously on his face, noticing the troll that Colin had first gone after was lying on the ground, lifelessly, before she suddenly became aware of the vicious snarling coming from Ulric.

She turned, joining Parvaen and Colin in watching the human continue to angrily growl as he continue punching the face of the troll…although there wasn't a face left. Having already punched the troll's face and skull into oblivion, Ulric appeared so lost in his fury that he simply continued throwing his fists into the dirt below, unable to realize that he'd gone well beyond defense.

Colin slowly made his way to his companions, crouching down to check on them as Ulric suddenly stopped, his entire body expanding rhythmically with each quick, heavy breath. He slowly rose to his feet, his head turning slowly toward the group, his dark beard nearly covered in red blood as he surveyed the others, his face still drowned in venom.

Nobody was sure what to say, not even Parvaen, who simply watched his leader with a lowered jaw. Ulric slowly turned the rest of his body, walking toward the group with a sinister look toward Colin, who was helping Vylira and Kyra to their feet.

"You're not to leave my sight again," Ulric muttered, sinisterly, pointing toward the three of them, "Not until we get to Wyrmrest Temple."

Colin's eyes met with his, and though he normally might have held a slightly nervous look about him, after what had just transpired, Colin's eyes held a certain steadiness to them, as if he couldn't have been afraid of anything at that moment, as he responded with a stare of his own toward Ulric.

"You'd better keep those eyes turned down, boy," Ulric muttered, "Just because I don't like failing to complete missions doesn't mean I don't mind counting dragging your dead carcass to the finish line as a success."

"Ulric!" Shadowmoon shouted, horrified.

He didn't reply, simply walking past the group toward the forest where he'd come from, "Tomorrow, we head out. No questions asked."

Disappearing into the trees, Ulric quietly went along without another word, leaving the others behind to stare at one another, wholly confused by his attitude. Parvaen looked to Shadowmoon for guidance, though she hadn't any. The man who'd just saved them was a stranger to her, she realized; a fear that had crept into her mind since their little tryst back in Wintergarde. Though, while she had worried about some emotional thing, she was now fearful of much more in that man.

Kyra and Colin shared their own worrisome glances, not wanting to speak ill of the man in front of two of his companions, and simply following the others along, leaving Vylira, alone, to watch, warily, at the second human to leave the clearing. While she was easily worried about Ulric's demeanor, she realized a deep fear welling up toward Colin, himself.

* * *

 _ **A/N: The trollish/Zandali in this chapter, I tried my best to keep it canon, though Blizzard has given frighteningly little information regarding many of the languages of Warcraft. Most of it in this chapter was due to a list of Zandali words compiled by**_ **Tmirai** _ **on Tumblr, though most of the words on that list, according to a Blizzard forum, were more fan-canon than anything else (obviously). Hopefully it didn't bother any troll-players; I know Darnassian is near and dear to my heart, so I'm sure I'm not the only weird person on here xD**_

 _ **Dictionary (According to**_ **TMirai** _ **'s "{Trollin' Thursdays} Watch yo' language! Zandali Words & Phrases" post on Tumblr) in order of appearence:**_

 _ **godehsi - hello (formal); ex. Godehsi, Vol'jin.**_

 _ **Dazdooga = Fire (this one actually comes from Wowpedia)**_

 _ **Bal'a - "beloved"; pet name used in serious relationships**_

 _ **wassa'dim - a loved one**_

 _ **jang - protect**_

 _ **ackee - fire (I used the two differing words more for dialect differences - "Zandali" is actually used, more or less specifically, by the Darkspears)**_

 _ **'ju - "mastery or master"; a troll who has mastered a certain art and is a teacher (suffix)' ex. Shobe'ju: Master Shobe (Colin is lying about this ;p)**_

 _ **riva'dim - "person I lust for" or "lover" (obviously used in the former context for this exchange)**_

 _ **nehjo - dirty; a promiscuous person**_


	34. Below the Last Moonlight

Night had fallen soon after the group had returned to their campsite, much to the surprise of Kyra and Colin, who had just then found out that they'd inadvertently been gone for an entire day. Both Remnaar and Tandkota looked on with surprise in their eyes at the sight of Ulric, who appeared to have aged a decade since they'd last seen him. His face had twisted into an angered thing, a far cry from the rather carefree man they'd come to know and respect, greatly, and he had taken to sitting by the campfire, so still, instead for his hand that stoked at the coursing flames non-stop.

Parvaen tried his best to communicate what had happened to the two men, though his explanation was impeded when Ulric shot him a disapproving glance that sent chills down the spines of all three men. While Tandkota returned to his outwardly aloof self, Remnaar was far more apprehensive as he sat there, doing his best to study everybody's faces, hating so deeply the feeling of the unknown.

Still rattled by her assault at the hands of the troll leader, Kyra simply sat right against Colin's side, resting her head atop his shoulder as his arm coiled around her, gently stroking her scalp in an attempt at comfort, nearly putting her to sleep, which he sincerely believed she deserved. With Syheath continuing to stare of the two of them, with the occasional glance at Vylira, Colin felt helpless when it came to speaking, and merely remained close to one of the two people in this party that he now understood he could only trust.

The reason Syheath's glare remained, for the most part, on Kyra and Colin was because her eldest sister, Vylira, wouldn't stop doing the same thing. Sitting slightly out of Colin's sight, Vylira held her leg up near her chest, her arms tightly keeping herself tightly hidden behind her appendage as she shone a serious stare toward Colin, as if trying to figure something out about him.

Such was the standoffish mood when Vylira stood up, finally breaking her glare as she turned toward the campfire, earning the stares of everybody as she spoke up, motioning toward Colin, "I need to talk to this human. That won't be a problem, will it?"

Ulric's eyes flickered up at her, shining brilliant orange shimmers alongside his focused stare before taking a look at Kyra, moving his head toward her, "She stays."

Vylira nodded as she stared at the two of them, as if making the decision for them rather easily, turning and walking off, leaving Colin to stare back in surprise. He turned to Kyra, whose worn out eyes peered back up toward him from atop his shoulder before she inevitably lifted herself away, trailing her hand along his back as she relieved him of her touch. Colin sighed deeply, already missing that comfort, before taking to his feet and slowly following behind Vylira as she made her way out of sight.

Out of earshot from most of the group, Vylira crouched down as she dropped two wooden swords that Ulric's party had had with them, pulling two bits of twine or thread from her pocket to tie around the middle of the shaft of each training weapon. As she worked, Colin appeared, rather nervously as he looked around the darkened limbs of trees that now surrounded the two of them.

"So, what's up?" he asked, staring curiously at Vylira's quick movements along her fingers.

Without returning her eyes, she replied, "We're going to practice. You always said you wanted to learn more."

Colin's eyes turned confused, "Well yeah, but is this the right time?"

Vylira suddenly shot a stare toward him, "After what you just witnessed earlier, you don't believe this is the _exact_ time to be doing this?"

His eyes fell as he recalled Ulric's sudden, inexplicable shift in moods. Far from a mood swing, he had nearly changed, wholly, into some fiendish thing atop that troll. Understanding what Vylira had meant, Colin knew he didn't want to be in place of that troll. Little was he aware, Vylira was referring, not to Ulric, but to Colin himself.

As she tossed one of the swords to Colin, she explained, evenly, "Get the thread off my sword. That's it."

Colin's eyes narrowed, curiously, as he brought his sword up to his face to examine the thread, "How exactly-"

"Better hit hard, then," Vylira muttered, holding her sword apart from her as she carefully stared Colin down.

Her eyes weren't on his sword, however; they were looking up and down the lengths of his arms, carefully studying his skin, or rather, his veins as he took a proper fighting stance, as taught to him by Vylira. She was the first to leap onto action, attacking Colin with a series of vicious swipes with her sword, the two wooden objects clacking on the breeze with every blow. Colin did his best to block her strikes, but his teeth bit at his lip as he lost himself to his concentration, not only having to block, but also ensure that her sword didn't make contact with the line of thread around his own weapon. He had no idea how sturdy the thread was, but with it being _her_ game, he couldn't guarantee much of anything.

Finally finding an opening, Colin decided to strike, though, with the prescient skills of a Silverwing, Vylira immediately threw her body downward, catching his sword in between her arm and torso before whipping her body around, sending Colin to the ground as he tried maintaining hold of his weapon. He slowly lifted himself up with a groan, looking up to Vylira as she tossed his sword back toward him, onto the ground, his eyes watching her, confused, as she wore a deep scowl as if examining him.

"What is it?" he asked, accusingly, "This isn't what you really wanted, is it?"

She shrugged innocently, "I'm just sparring."

Not buying her excuse for a moment, Colin worked his way back up to his feet, his lips pulled in skepticism as he watched her, unsure of what it was she was interested in. He returned to his posture, taking a defensive stance, figuring that, were she wanting something from him, she would have to come and claim it herself. Sure enough, neither of them moved, with Vylira taking the defensive herself, though, upon noticing Colin's still footwork, she burst into action.

Throwing her sword upward, she put her full weight into her swing, causing her opponent to block awkwardly, forcing him off balance as he stepped backwards. Vylira was quick to reach out, however, and grasp his sword, yanking it toward her and further disorienting Colin as his body suddenly flew forward. Using his weight as momentum, however, Vylira had pulled herself clear into the air, and as Colin fell forward, she spun around, kicking him in the back before landing with her knee digging into the ground as Colin's face met with the same fate.

He quickly picked himself back up, becoming heated at her sneaky tactics that he knew, full well, she had no reason to expect from him in return. His brow furrowed in thought as he ran over her words from earlier, seeking out a way to demonstrate his own ability at slight of. He suddenly cane across something, jumping into a stance as Vylira returned to her own.

Her eyes sparkling questioningly as the hair atop Colin's arms suddenly stood on end, her suspicions answered in that moment. She threw her hands out, preparing to swing at him, though in that moment, Colin lowered his own weapon as his hand flew out from beside him, launching a massive fireball at her sword. But her weapon was stuck in mid-air, having not even hit the ground yet before Vylira, having shed her weapon, grabbed Colin and spun him around, dropping him to the ground as she followed, digging her knee into the top of his spin as she held his arm up behind him, launching a deliberate chop from her free hand just above his elbow.

Colin suddenly felt his arm go numb as he grimaced at the idea of having been pinned down by an opponent, quickly trying to break free, though Vylira offered no such opportunity. He continued to try, however, though he was silenced by Vylira's voice as her face leaned in closer to his ear.

"What was that?!" she asked, angrily, pulling at his wrist to signal what she'd referred to.

Confused and angry, Colin merely continued his escape attempts, "It was fire! What did you think? You've seen it before!"

"Not that," she answered, cryptically, her voice turning dreadful enough for Colin to pause his struggling, "That was no human magic; that was druid stuff. I don't give a damn how long you've trained; no human expels magic like that."

Colin sighed into the dirt at his face, his body exhaling weakly as he argued, quietly, "Could you let me go already? What, did you think I was going to hurt you?"

Vylira's lips slid into a smirk as her grip at his wrist tightened, "You never know. After today, especially."

"I'd be far too frightened to aim anything at you," Colin admitted, defeatedly, "Regardless of any state of mind."

He heard a muted giggle from above, but Vylira kept him pinned as she mused, feigning disappointment, "Don't say " _anything"_ ; from what I've heard from Kyra, that'd be a sadly missed opportunity."

Groaning, his rolling eyes hidden by the ground, Colin replied, "If sisters tell each other everything- I'm sure she won't be hearing about how you manhandled her mate, nearly amputating his arm."

Vylira half-shrugged, speaking innocently enough, "What, she knows what tough love is."

After another smirk and quiet laughter, Vylira relinquished her grasp, as well as her knee, standing to her feet while Colin made his way up as well, without the aid of his right arm, which was still numb from Vylira hindering his flow of blood. He began brushing himself off, his head held low, until he suddenly felt Vylira's body closing in on him, her hands gently grasping at either side of his jaw as she directed his head upward to examine him.

"Sorry; I didn't mean to be _that_ rough," she apologized, weakly, while bringing a sleeve up to his forehead, seemingly wiping away either dirt or blood from his face, "I've seen men corrupted by a lot less than whatever magic you've already exhibited, so I apologize if I'm wary of seeing my sister's mate inheriting much of anything from my elder brother."

Her voice held a twinge of sarcasm to it, but as she reached a thumb up to her lips to lick at her skin, carefully wiping away what must have been the source of Colin's blood, her voice returned to its normally somber timbre, "You know, one of our legends is about Kaldorei society becoming split way back when- men became the holders of magic simply because their desire for greater and greater knowledge was rather insatiable; they couldn't get enough."

She grinned, devilishly, "We women, we took the weapons of war, they said, because we knew there wasn't any boundary we hadn't left uncrossed when it came to such things."

Colin's eyes peered up toward her skeptically, "You made that up."

Again, Vylira cocked a grin, "Doesn't make it any less true."

"It kind of does," Colin nodded, though that only led to Vylira holding his head toward her with more strength to keep him still.

The two of them grew quiet as Vylira focused on cleaning his wound, though when she finished, her hands remained at either side of Colin's face, his eyes turning up at her, curiously, as he muttered, "Can I-?"

Interrupting him, Vylira's hands immediately jumped around him as she suddenly pulled him into a tight hug, working his head around his head until it rested in his shoulder, quickly deciding to speak up before giving the wrong impression, "Look, I'm not the 'mushy' type, so just shut up and let me hold you for a second."

Colin sighed, closing his eyes, "Vylira, I'm not your brother- I'm not going to crazy with power or anything; I have a thousand reasons _not_ to do that."

"You _are_ my brother," Vylira confirmed, suddenly, and weakly, as if having to open herself up to admit such a thing.

His eyes looking down at her, Colin began to realize where her apprehension was coming from as she slowly went along, her grip tightening around him in substitution of tears, "I don't care what anybody says. You have a family. and I'm not about to lose another brother to that strain of evil that I have no opportunity to defend against."

Colin sighed, lightly, as he brought his arms up around her, matching her tight grip with his own reassuring tug, "Look, I have a thousand reasons not to do anything that would-"

"What it Kelaeth had a thousand and one reasons?" she suddenly quipped, pulling her head back to stare up at him with a questioning, almost lost, expression.

His eyes met with hers, and Colin was left astonished at just how vulnerable the always-tough Vylira appeared at this moment. He smiled, just barely, realizing just how much trust she had placed within him, the thought forcing him , more or less, to do the same. He gave a slanted grin, as if saddened by the recollection he was just able to conjure up.

He reached a hand out, snapping a finger underneath a sudden burst of flame, resulting in just a single, enduring flame at the tip of his finger, as if it were a match, "My mother was a mage. I don't think she wanted to be so- her whole life was dedicated to escaping the talents her parents had given to her, probably because she despised the rigid fate of those magicians. My father was very much conducive to the exact opposite; he was very free-spirit, not wanting to be held down, which, for better or worse, seemed to cross over to his career life."

His smile took on a brighter air, "He thought my mother's talents made her that much beautiful though, and he hated that she refused to accept them- I think he was kind of jealous. But no matter how much he prodded, she never relented; even when he wanted her to see if I had similar talents."

"I became exceptionally curious of the whole deal, and when I got old enough, she made a deal with me," Colin continued, looking off, "She would teach me what she thought acceptable, and after a year, she would let me decide whether or not to join some mage order, were I accepted anyway."

Vylira's head cocked slowly to the side as she smiled fadingly, "No wonder you took to druidic stuff quick. The arcade is outward, which druid magic comes from within, but still, the basics are similar. You never told me you learn at an arcaniun."

Colin's gaze fell to the ground, his voice softening as he answered, "That year never ended for her."

Catching his drift, Vylira lips fell into a solemn sort of sadness as he went only, easily, the years having comforted his memories quite readily, "So, the only real thing I have from my mother is this…stuff. I do t know; maybe I was just swept up in the moment, but when your brother offered me the same- It kind of felt as if I receiving the same from your family."

"I understand," Vylira shrugged, "But whatever he knows, little of it is just trifling magic. All that stuff comes from evil beings."

Colin grinned, "Instead of speaking of nightly exploits, had you talked to Kyra about more important things, you'd know just how serious I am when I make a promise."

Vylira slowly allowed herself to smile, softly, as she muttered back in reply, "For you information, I did learn of that from her."

"Good," Colin finished, plainly, releasing a sigh as he shook his head, "As if I'd be important enough for any sort of malevolence to seek me out."

Slowly, Vylira pulled away, though her hand ran its way along his shoulder, creeping up to touch his cheek as she paused, "You were important enough for one being."

Colin rolled his eyes, "Trust me. Elune must not have _that_ high of regard for me when she's had Kyra watching over me."

"She's not the only one looking out for you," Vylira spoke up, her voice wavering like a gentle breeze.

Colin suddenly felt a twinge of the unfamiliar, almost uncomfortable. Vylira had always been quite 'hands-on', as were most night elves when with friends, and up until this point, his interactions with Vylira had been par for the course. Now, however, he heard something far deeper in her voice; and while he was unable to pinpoint exactly what it was, he knew it was something far too familiar for two friends.

He slowly reached up to grab at her wrist, gently pulling it away from his cheek as his eyes peered away, trying not to offend her, though she only released a gentle laugh at his action, "Sorry. Too much?"

"Just a bit," Colin answered, distantly.

Vylira gave something of a muted giggle behind her closed mouth as she shook her head, "You're no Jarod or Malfurion, but you are a good man. I should have snatched you up while I had the chance."

Blushing suddenly, Colin returned his eyes to her, "Wh-What?!"

She laughed, waving him off, "You get knocked off kilter so easily sometimes. It's so easy to beat you in a game of wit sometimes, dear brother."

Vylira smirked at his blank face, though, as Colin's expression quickly turned to one of amused defiance while his eyes turned toward the ground, she curiously watched him, spinning around to catch what his attention was on. Sure enough, her sword was on the ground, without its thread, having been incinerated by Colin's blast of fire. Looking nearby toward Colin's, his sword remained as it had when she'd given it to him.

"Looks like I win," Colin smirked, crossing his arms with an air of supremacy, " _Dear_ sister."

Vylira groaned as she covered her face, rubbing her eyes at the prospect of having been outsmarted by, not only a human, but one who'd she'd had a particular sibling rivalry with of sorts.

Colin continued, amusedly, "I'll understand if you want to head on back now. After all, I might have to be the one to pull _you_ away for training next time."

"Oh, you'd like that, huh?" Vylira fired back with a mischievous grin on her face, crossing her own arms as she shook her head, "Really though, we've been away long enough."

Colin agreed with a nod, reaching down for his training weapon and starting back toward the camp, slowing as Vylira walked at his side, "Thanks for, uh… you know. Looking out for me. Most of my life, I had no one who did that."

Vylira smiled, reaching out to grab Colin's arm and pull him toward her into a side-long hug, "Hey, what are sisters for?"

Colin lowered his head embarrassingly, so Vylira went along to add some levity, "And thank you for being such an obedient little brother. That's a trait long forgotten by the Shadowmoon family, it seems."

"Well, if I go end up getting killed, I'll consider myself having followed in their footsteps."

She eyed him critically, "Hey, we may be disobedient little devils, but we never allow ourselves to be overcome by such things."

"Noted," Colin smiled, "I guess I have plenty of time to learn about it all after we're d-"

In a split second, Vylira had spun her body forward, meeting Colin's as her head reached up to give him a gentle kiss, immediately pulling away so as to not give the wrong idea to his human mind. Colin stared into her eyes with disbelief, but she only smiled, just barely, as a sudden blush streaked along her face.

"Just don't die," she commanded, softly.

Colin nodded quickly amidst his nervousness as Vylira spun back into place, now having to pull Colin along for him to move forward to the camp. He slowly regained the ability to walk, by himself, allowing Vylira to pull her hand away from him with an honest smile. Seeming content to leave their excursion at that, Vylira didn't speak beyond that, her point having been made, and although Colin had, in a moment, constructed a litany of questions to ask _her_ , he couldn't quite find the proper words when considering actually speaking them.

Finally, having built up the strength, or rather, the ability, he turned to Vylira with his mouth drawn open to speak, but in that moment, his eyes narrowed, curiously, as he caught the profile of her suddenly serious face. She was staring ahead, right at the glowing orange along the trees that signaled the campsite, and it didn't take Colin much time for his own face to show his horror as the two of them slowly left the cover of the forest, entering the somber air of the fireside camp.

Ulric's eyes nearly bore a hole in their faces with the quiet, sinister stare he now wore, his hand hidden behind Kyra, who now sat beside him, her hands bound behind her back with Ulric, presumably, holding her in place as he watched the faces of the two newcomers. Had Colin the presence of mind to break away from Ulric's stare, he would have noticed the downtrodden, uncomfortable faces of Remnaar and, especially, Parvaen, who watched Colin with a face almost full of fright.

Shadowmoon remained sitting, though was obviously ashamed of the situation, not dating to steal a glance at either her older sister or Colin, but she did flinch as Ulric spoke up, lowly, "Okay, here's the rules."

He stood up, yanking Kyra's arms along with hi to force her along as well, her head lowered in shame at not having been able to free herself of her own volition, as Ulric's deep voice seemed to rouse the very darkness itself that surrounded the group, "We're going to your temple. and you both are going to allow ourselves that same form of submission as this one, simply to avoid any misunderstandings along the way. Got it?"

Without a hint of acknowledgement from the two newcomers, Ulric pointed at Remnaar and Parvaen before throwing his finger into their direction, signaling his men to tie them up, "Watch the human. He's a mage; I want his arms bound so he can't incinerate his way out."

Remnaar silently eyed Colin and Vylira with a look of regret, through he still pulled out the rope that had been laid out for the two of them, starting off in Colin's direction. As he stepped along, however, Parvaen slid past him, almost with a kick in his step as he approached Colin himself, grabbing the human by the shoulder and forcibly spinning him away from the group and pushing him, rather violently, into a tree, leaving Remnaar rather surprised as he changed his direction toward Vylira.

Colin released a pained grunt as his face flew into the tree, Parvaen keeping him pinned to the mighty truck of the tree while single-handedly preparing the rope. As the blood elf juggled the rope, Colin's eyes turned confused as he heard the elf's voice from behind him, a sort of pitied voice, held low to keep from rousing any suspicion.

"He was waiting for you three to get separated so we'd have the numbers," Parvaen explained, seriously, "I don't know how the others feel, but I know something's up with him."

Colin mulled over his words, when suddenly, he felt the rope fall to the ground as Parvaen attempted to buy some more time to speak only to him, though that came at a price, as Parvaen immediately brought an elbow, viciously, into Colin's side with a snarling, "Stop fighting!"

Colin rolled his eyes as Parvean crouched down to retrieve the rope, starting over, "Sorry."

"Goddamn," Colin painfully mumbled, feeling his eyes strain from the sudden strike.

This time, Parvaen began tying the rope up, quietly speaking as he yanked his two arms apart, "You speak Zandali."

"Yeah, when I do t have the wind beat out of me anyway," Colin replied, sarcastically, keeping his voice low.

Parvaen sighed as he went along with his work, almost to the point where Colin thought he might have been done talking. He felt the constriction along his arms, the numbness welling up at his fi gertips as he shut his eyes, trying to focus the pain away, when suddenly, Parvaen began muttering something in Zandali.

"Wehnehjo fus'obeah, dim cyaa T'ief," Parvaen mumbled, almost longingly, as if he'd inscribed those very words onto his mind long ago, "What does that mean, human?"

Colin's spine went cold even halfway through Parvaen's recitation, as he knew the phrase quite well. He lowered his head, not so much in respect as much as grief, his eyes running along the ground as he attempted to find the proper way of telling this man of what he sought.

A final, powerful tug around Colin's body and Parvaen impatiently whispered, forcefully, "What does it mean?!"

Quietly, his head still low, Colin answered respectfully, "It means somebody loved you very much."

Parvaen's eyes suddenly grew into two watery beams of light as his brow went skyward, his immediate sorrow nearly bursting from his chest at this human's words. His legs nearly gave way as his attention remained on something outside this realm, his mi d just coming back to him at the realization that his assignment was completed and that he needed to not draw any suspicion to himself. He quickly hung his head low as he turned back toward the camp, tearing at every string inside his heart to keep from openly weeping in front of everybody.

Colin turned around to face Ulric, his own eyes fighting back tears as he noticed how distraught Kyra had appeared. He eyed Vylira, who was wearing a sort of death stare toward Ulric, the human quietly returning to his seat after admiring his men's work, non-chalantly reaching for a bite of bread that sat by the fire.

"We start out in the morning," he spoke, as if going over his plan in his head, "Hope you all packed light. We'll have traversed the mountains of Crystalsong by next moonlight."

At his invocation of the moon itself, Colin felt an empty feeling run through his feet.


	35. Crisis Point

Colin peeked back over his shoulder, seeing the mighty fortress of Wintergarde below, nearly evaporating into the distance. He caught the image of Kyra from its corner, her being behind him in the line of bodies that was headed by Tandkota, whose mighty tauren frame was well-suited for traversing the thick snow of a mountain. Remnaar normally would have challenged his friend's role as leader of this mission, but the presence of three tied-up bodies still guilted him greatly. He had thought that the silence would have been a topic of discussion for Ulric, but even he didn't say much, and as Wyrmrest Temple began to materialize out in the distance, he continued staring at the golden tower with a distant expression.

As Tandkota trudged through the snow, his breath growing shallow from the thinning air, he began to slow his pace, to the point that even Ulric seemed to notice, the man reaching up to pull at the massive coat that the tauren wore, "Hold up. We're going to take a break. Then I want Rem to take the lead and see how he does."

Tandkota paused, giving a challenging glance over his shoulder as Remnaar grinned, "I'll try not to outshine you _too_ much, dear friend!"

Snorting a gigantic breath through his snout, Tandkota acquiesced as he turned toward the group, taking a seat atop the snow as he pulled his duffel bag from his shoulder, "Coming from the man who has barely even been acquainted with climate."

Remnaar chuckled lightly as he followed the others to the ground, "Don't you worry; I know enough to show you up."

Ulric interrupted their childish argument with a quick, "There will be nothing until after we rest."

He eyed the three captives, lowering his head as he opened up a pouch of food to eat from, "You would find it more appealing in our company if you were more accepting of our generosity, you know."

Colin gave him a droll expression, muttering sarcastically, "Yes; thank you for all the hospitality you've shown us indeed."

Ulric shook his head, as if annoyed, "I have no problem leaving you up here, bound, if you'd prefer the hospitality of this mountain."

"Go ahead," Colin rolled his eyes plainly, "I know you're using me; you won't allow me to die."

The thick beard of Ulric contrasted so heavily with the white snow beneath it as he turned his head toward the captives, "Good thing you have companions then."

Colin grew pale in a second as he turned toward Kyra, who was looking worse for wear. She was in need of rest after the assault of the trolls, and given all that had happened the night before, this mighty trek was beginning to weigh her down. She still stared at Ulric defiantly, however, with the Shadowmoon zeal that Colin also expected Vylira to be demonstrating at that moment.

Unable to sit themselves without the use of their hands, the three of them looked on as Ulric's crew all took to sitting, as well as eating, all of them taking just glancing looks up at the three of them, mostly with regret in their eyes. Parvaen seemed to be taking it the hardest, as he'd hardly eaten, and kept rubbing his face as if lost in whether or not to speak.

Having noticed this, Ulric finally spoke up, rousingly, as if to quell any questioning of his authority, "Parv! If you've got something to say, then say it! God damn, man!"

Parvaen quickly shot a stare up toward his leader, though at the conclusion of his heated breaths, the blood elf turned toward Colin, "What does it mean exactly?"

Ulric, along with everybody else, gave Colin an inquisitive look, leaving him wide-eyed as he nervously made his rounds returning the stares of the others, "W-What?"

"Wehnehjo fus'obeah, dim cyaa T'ief" Parvaen repeated from the night before, "I know what you said, just- What does it mean?"

Colin cast his eyes down on the blood elf, seriously, though he couldn't be sure if the context he was replying to. He quickly checked on Ulric, who simply stared back with a quiet curiosity, before trying to form an explanation.

"Trolls are a very tribal society. So, oftentimes, they make sure to find relationships within the tribe. There's nothing wrong with seeking friendship outside the group, 'wehnejo', but if you were to bring a stranger I to the tribe, that's a very complicated thing," Colin spoke, looking away as he continued, slightly embarrassed, "Just by that sentence, I know that you were wehnehjo, and you had gone to the tribe of, if my conjugation is correct, a man that you must have loved?"

Parvaen's hand reached up to his face as his eyes screwed upward, in a sort of anguished awe, his palm covering his mouth as he quietly mumbled, as if to himself, "Zaakjin.."

Colin nodded, "Zaakjin, okay. I wouldn't know the specifics, but he must have unintentionally broken a rule of integration- quite an easy thing to do anyway. In those cases, they often kill wehnehjo as reparation for the troll's misdeed. Zaakjin seems to have offered up himself to be killed, so that you could live."

Tears had already begun to fall from Parvaen's eyes as he desperately reached for the craggy rock beneath him, as if he were afraid of collapsing into his own legs. As he sat down, he covered his face with a single hand, just a fraction of his mind able to realizing how embarrassed he should have been.

Colin quietly consoled, "If it counts for anything-"

"Stop," Ulric muttered, venomously, under his breath as he rubbed his ankle, "No more talk."

Remnaar turned to his leader, "Ulric, the man just-"

"I don't care," the human grumbled, "I'm not keen on any of you getting too close to any of them."

Colin's shifted toward Shadowmoon, who turned away from his glance, as if knowing what he was thinking and was silently attempting to let known to him her resistance. Remnaar shook his head slowly is dismay, shifting over toward Parvaen to offer a comforting arm around his friend, though the blood elf continued to weep as if he hadn't even noticed.

Colin eyed Ulric as he began to stand up, clearly tired of this stop by now, and preparing to leave. He realized that, were he to act, now would be the time- that both Kyra and Vylira would both agree that freedom would trump captivity, even on this frigid mountaintop. He took a few side-steps over, putting himself about halfway between his companions and Syheath, her eyes suddenly showing a darker light as she scowled up at him.

"Don't you dare-"

"How close would sisters be?" Colin suddenly asked, stopping Ulric in his tracks.

The human, who'd been rummaging through his rucksack, paused, peering deep into his bag as he heard Colin's words, his head slowly turning upward toward him with an accursed expression, "…what?"

Colin tilted his head toward Shadowmoon, "You wanna know her name? It's Syheath. She's the sister of my companions here."

Ulric shot a glance at Shadowmoon, who immediately shrugged, "The human must be fuckin' delusional, or desperate. Probably both."

He turned to Colin, who pointed at Shadowmoon, "Look at her shoulder. She's got a triangular scar from a piece of shrapnel that hit her when this one beat the shit out of their brother."

He'd pointed at Vylira, who merely shoved her hands into her pockets, staring back, fiercely, toward Ulric, still unsure of what exactly Colin was doing. In his sudden paranoia, Ulric turned to Shadowmoon, who sighed dramatically, shaking her head.

"You don't actually believe-"

"Show me your shoulder."

She recoiled, shooting back heatedly, "The fuck I am!"

"If you don't," Ulric pointed out, warily, "I'm going to assume you've something to hide from me."

Now angered by her leader's insistence, Shadowmoon breathed heatedly as she rose to her feet, grabbing at her collar and yanking it down her shoulder in one decisive motion, sure enough, revealing the two scars that formed something of a triangle, Shadowmoon smearing back at the man who had become a stranger.

"So? 's that what you wanted to see?" she muttered, fiercely, "They _are_ my sisters; the fuck's that to you?"

Ulric suddenly turned to the two foreign elves to the group, the two of them quietly recoiling as they were both still bound, their wrists strapped up before them. However, just outside all three of their visions, Colin's feet dug in as his heart began to speed up, eying Ulric with a fearless determination. In one flash of motion, Ulric leapt toward the two of them, his fingers making like claws as he snarled loudly.

"You traitorous-!" he roared aloud, suddenly interrupted by a massive force ejecting itself into his side.

Colin had rushed to tackle him just before he made it to his targets, his arms bursting into flames to free himself from his ropes in a blazing incineration, though was shocked to realize the speed on the man. By the time he'd crashed into Ulric's fearsome body, the man had just clutched a fistful of Kyra's shirt, sending the both of them teetering to the mountains edge, right toward a nearby cliff. Their three bodies went falling right off the snowy peak, though as Colin's sense of gravity immediately betrayed him, he quickly reached out to grab at whatever he could, finding something just as his momentum was suddenly ceased, sending tremors through his body at the halting motion.

However, he remained hanging, feeling his body swaying back and forth as his arms suddenly seated with pain at the weight of holding himself up. His head jerked upward, finding himself cluching onto Ulric's leg, who, in turn, was single-handedly hanging onto Kyra, her tied wrists just barely latched onto the jutting recess of rock. Colin's heart raced, noticing her pained face, just barely making out her clutching teeth as she did all she could hold onto two men. He felt small sparkles of tears on his face as her body revolted against her will, trying anything to escape her pain.

Suddenly, Vylira slid down to Kyra, followed immediately by Tandkota, with Remnaar behind him, clutching onto his belt, with Vylira taking commend as she lowered a foot down toward Kyra, "Colin! Can you climb up?! Hang on, Kyra!"

Kyra could barely breathe, much less reply, as her hands tried their best to clutch onto the rock, hoping for any sort of relief. Vylira, whose hands were still bound, forfeited her place as Tandkota moved quickly, trying his best to not miss his footing. Vylira peered down over the edge to eye Colin, who was still swinging quite violently as he tried his best to work his way up Ulric's body, though he found it difficult without his cooperation.

"Give me your hand," Colin groaned, having nothing to pull himself on.

Ulric peered down toward him, his free hand reaching down in offering as Colin set himself in preparation to reach on up. He watched his arm strain as it coiled around Ulric's legs, finally content in his status, before reaching on up, his eyes following suit as his head turned up toward-

His eyes blew wide as Ulric's hand had, indeed, reached down, but had only reached into his pocket, whipping out a pocket knife before switching it open, turning it upside down as his muscles tensed, clearly preparing to strike up at Kyra. Colin stared up in shock, Kyra's tears still falling atop his face as a sense of terror washed over him. Vylira had noticed, and had even fallen to her knees to jump at the man, though she froze, knowing that doing so would have killed them all anyway. Her glowing eyes shifted just barely as Colin bared his teeth, his now-free hand opened up like a bear's paw about to claw its enemy.

Vylira felt her lungs collapse as Colin swung a mighty blow up at Ulric, almost lodging his nails into his skin from the sound of Ulric's sudden cry as he instinctively let go of Kyra, sending the two men straight down the mountainside, disappearing suddenly into the foggy clouds that trailed around the craggy surface. Vylira's eyes drew wide in horror, unable to move as she peered down into the abyss, every one of her senses failing her other than her sight. She heard nothing, and the biting cold failed to affect her now. She only felt the shaking horror reverberating throughout her body.

Slowly, she heard a distant crying, drawing closer and closer as the world around her grew nearer around her. Kyra remained hanging by her bonds, having ascertained what had happened simply by the sudden, horrible feeling of relief that had torn across her body. What pain that had consumed her body now tore through her heart.

"W-What..?" Vylira managed, just now realizing the sudden shock that now appeared on Remnaar and Tandkota's faces, the two of them both frozen all the same.

Vylira slowly made her way down to Kyra, bending down to offer her own bound arms against the rock as she leaned down, closer to Kyra's head, her youngest sister's tears bringing back memories of equally terrifying times, "Kyra…"

She didn't reply as she remained weeping, hanging there, forcing Vylira to continue through her own tears with a weak voice, "Kyra, please. I can't lose you too."

Kyra didn't reply, though her clenched hands slowly opened up, allowing Vylira to clutch her hand with her own, klutzily lifting her up off the rock and back up onto the smooth face of the rock. Kyra immediately fell to her knees, covering her head with her arms as she lost herself, leaving Vylira to watch her, sadly. The elder sister's face fell sadly, looking up toward the small rest area from just moments earlier, her eyes dimming at the sight.

"Please," she quietly pleaded, shaking her head at Remnaar, who had a gun pointed at the two of them with a frightened expression, "Please domt do this."

"We should have never let him come," the draenei spoke, lowly, "To think you three would lead to _this_ …"

"You saw him," Vylira's voice shook between shaking nerves, "He was about to kill my-"

"Only because he sent him off this mountain," Remnaar clarified, his voice wavering, clearly unsure of assuming this role as an authority.

He turned to check on Parvaen and Shadowmoon, who'd both taken to their feet in the action, and back to Vylira, speaking to the group, "What do we do with them?"

Nobody answered. All that broke the air was the howling wind and Kyra's crying. Growing more nervous, Remnaar turned to Tandkota, the tauren watching Vylira suspiciously, as if attempting to see through her very soul, though this was interrupted by Shadowmoon, who quickly through a hand toward Remnaar, angrily scowling.

"You, stand down," she ordered, turning toward Vylira with the same heated expression, "You… Both of you. I want you two gone. You come all the way out here, you kill the man whose been…whose been a teacher and a leader, whose been more like a father to me than anybody on that fucking tree you two call home. If not for our ties by blood, I wouldn't mind Rem, here, shooting you both, dead."

"Syheath, I-"

"Don't you _dare_ ," Shadowmoon interrupted, nearly boiling over as she did before returning to her previous state, "Get out of here."

Kyra's head appeared as she shed her arms, no longer hiding her blood-red, stained cheeks, "We're doing no such thing. We're finishing what we came here to do."

Shadowmoon watched her with restrained surprise as Kyra shook her head, "Those dragons made a promise, and I intend to make them honor it."

Remnaar looked at Shadowmoon with a hint of worry, suddenly raising his gun into the air as he held up his hands, "Hey now; I didn't sign on to deal with any Aspects, here. Even I understand what those beings are capable of!"

All but ignoring him, Shadowmoon snapped back at Kyra, "Why won't you fucking listen to me and get out of here?! You've taken enough from me even before you showed up!"

Kyra shook her head once again, "Any other day, Syheath, and I would-"

In a single moment, Shadowmoon grappled ahold of Remnaar's gun, charging up to Kyra and shoving the flared end of the gun up beneath Kyra's chin, her finger straddling the trigger as furious tears rolled down her face, "I'm Shadowmoon! Stop stealing my name, too!"

Her face shook tearfully as Kyra's eyes watched her, sadly. The end of the gun slowly fell away from her sister's head as she dropped her arms to the side, hiding her face as she surrendered herself to her emotions. She'd lost so much to her younger sister: her family's attention at her young age, the respect of those upon Teldrassil who so much more respected Kyra's tenacity as a Sentinel than Syheath's more-adventurous tendencies. Now, she'd lost a man who'd meant so much to her.

Syheath jumped in surprise as a Kyra's body suddenly pressed up against hers, affectionately, as if into a hug had her arms been free, leaving Syheath to tremble from the shock. The two remained there, both teary-eyed, as the rest of the group looked on, though Vylira revealed something of a saddened smile at the sight.

"Look, I'd be an idiot to think those two have ceased to exist," Kyra muttered quietly, "I've seen too wild of events these last two years. So how's about we get down there and figure out what's going on, okay?"

Syheath didn't reply, nor did she return with a hug, leaving Kyra to sigh apologetically as she affectionately moved her head over to rest on Syheath's shoulder, "I never wanted to take anything from you."

Her older sister grumbled as her eyes turned toward her three companions, frowning at the idea of this all playing out in front of them all, lowly reaching up to grasp ahold of Kyra's shoulders, pushing her away, "How about we just put this aside for now."

"Agreed," Vylira answered for Kyra, turning toward Tandkota, "You lead this group now, I gather?"

Tandkota's eyes flashed in surprise, quickly shaking his head, "Oh, no. I would have thought Remnaar would be- he's been with Ulrich the longest."

The draenei shivered, "W-What? I have no such experience with such things! Shadowmoon was always his favorite; we all know it!"

Syheath turned to hide a blush as Remnaar turned inquisitively toward Parvaen, "Well?"

The blood elf crossed his arms, "As long as it's in their plan to go find Ulric and that other human, I'd follow anybody. That human has given me more peace of mind than anything these last few hundred years. I figure its my duty to repay that to him. As far as Ulric…"

Remnaar and Tandkota shared curious glances at one another as the draenei spoke up, "We…know he's been acting weird. Something I've not seen before. I'm quite curious as to the reason for it. So…"

He turned a hand over toward Syheath, "My lady. What would you have us do?"

She watched them, shocked, before softening her face into a knowing grin, turning toward Kyra, "How do you like me now?"

Kyra's eyes rolled, but Vylira quickly approached the two from behind, reaching her head in between them with a bright smile, "Now this is what I'm talking about! The three wild Shadowmoon girls finally together in the wide world at last! Were the circumstances not so dire, I'd have a drink!"

Parvaen pulled his rucksack up over his shoulder, "I've some gnomish brandy in here. I'll wait until this is all over to pour any out, though."

"Deal!" Vylira happily shot back at him, turning back to Syheath, "We're without our leader as well, so I suppose we are in your service as well."

Syheath looked at Kyra, skeptically, though her younger sister smiled with little enthusiasm, "I suppose I've taken enough from you, unintentionally or otherwise. It's time I give back, I guess, so…you have my sword, and my loyalty."

Skeptically, Syheath kept an eye on Kyra as she began, "Okay, were going to get down there to the Blight and see what has become of those two; I'm not about to risk anybody else by scaling down from here. Kota, can you keep up dredging the snow before us?"

The tauren nodded, "As long as Remnaar doesn't mind carrying my totem the rest of the way."

Remnaar groaned defeatedly, "Just when I thought I was demonstrate my prowess …"

"Everyone else," Syheath ordered, "Let's get these bags up and get a move-on."

She turned toward her two sisters, lightly, as she whipped out a knife, quietly reaching over toward the two of them, "I guess it's time we all were frees of what keeps us bound."

Vylira was the first to have her ropes severed, expressing happily as she immediately gave her sister a hug, gently holding her head against her shoulder, "Thanks, Sy-"

"Please. Stop," she muttered, mutely, "You're ruining your sister's shot at being freed as well."

From behind them came the large, upset voice of Remnaar, "Dammit!"

Parvaen chuckled, "Better get it picked back up before you get caught left behind."

"Ugh," Remnaar mused, quietly, "Ulric'll be pissed to find his bag just torn asunder."

Syheath clapped loudly, gaining everybody's attention, "Okay, we're heading out! We're gonna be- Rem!"

The draenei groaned mightily, "I'm picking it up!"

Grinning, Syheath playfully slapped his shoulder, "Hurry up; you and Kota are taking turns clearing the snow if you ever get back with the group."

Remnaar roared excitedly as he fell to his knees, packing in all of Ulric's wares, along with a healthy helping of snow in his enthusiasm, a wide smirk reaching over his face. His arm began to ache as he neared the end, thankful as he reached over for the last bits of equipment that had fallen out, though his eyes turned sharp as he grasped at the handle of a dagger that lay half-buried, the draenei pausing to think of where he had seen it before. It bore a serpentine design, with a flat, coiling edge that worked its way into a point where the snakes head might have been.

He shook his head, curiously, as he shoved it back into its home, jumping to his feet and rushing to join the rest of the party, his hooves leaving large paths in the sand where the rest had already trailed.


	36. Aerxaxx

Colin's eyes tugged their way open as he woke, a sweltering pain forcing his jaw to clench once his senses began to return. The first thing he noticed was the incredible pain searing his leg, the first thought going through his mind being that it must have been broken in the fall. His eyes clenched shut as the bright sunlight assaulted his vision, for some reason having been so much more magnificent of a light than he'd ever seen before.

He slowly began to register that he was, actually, not stationary. It wasn't due to his leg, back at the back of his head, he felt something like sand sliding along his scalp, as if being dragged along a beach. As his pupils worked their way along, he could finally squint to ascertain his situation, turning his head to see why the sunlight had been so blinding.

As far as he could see, there was nothing but a hollow grayness covering the ground, doing a considerable job at reflecting the light. Colin quickly realized where he was- a sharp tremor running through his heart as he took a quick breath. The material beneath his head was not sand- it was far more fine and felt hollow, nearly empty, like snow without the crinkle beneath the feet.

He quickly turned his head upward, noticing the dark shadow of a figure just in front of him, his injured leg being clutched at its side. Colin could only guess that this was Ulric, who was now dragging him along, but to what ends? He tried to yank at his leg to free himself, but his nerves failed to respond as a cold sweat began to trickle along his brow. His leg, truly, was broken.

Ulric moved along, deliberately, like a feral man on a warpath, his stance obviously having been weighted down by Colin's body. He gradually moved slower and slower as exhaustion set in, though Colin realized he had no idea just how long Ulric had been at this.

Just as Colin began to regain more of his faculties, a dark voice wandered through the air, like a serpent writhing into his ear from some darkly intoxicated stream of air, "Tire eas'ly, human!"

Ulric grunted, "Fuck off."

A light, yet demonic, giggle broke their air, "You are rather mean t' those 'elping you. You aught adjust yer attitude, human; 'owever close you git to yer goal, I'm more th'n capable of makin' sure it b'comes the last thing you'll ever even be able to imagine."

"You've you did me for years, yet you still seem unaware of just how little that bothers me," Ulric retorted, "Doubting me is a mistake people make only once."

The demonic voice snickered devilishly, "Pay 'eed, human. Pay 'eed."

Colin jumped in surprise as the dark body the voice belonged to suddenly appeared above him, walking behind the two of them with a hasty pace, approaching Ulric from behind, "If ya don't shape up, I'll tear dat snout clean thr'ugh yer skull, just like what happ'ned to yer father."

That seemed to quell Ulric's backtalk, as he failed to reply as his steps grew more and more haggard, the demon beginning to giddily skip along beside the two of them, seemingly unaware of Colin's presence, "Hee hee! Not'ing to retort? Yer body is not th' only thing that's been worn, human."

Finally reaching Ulric's side, the demon grasped his shoulder and yanked it back, turning him to face the demonic face as Ulric stopped in his tracks, the evil being grumbling, annoyed, "Ya lost th' god damned knife."

"Let me just climb up that mountain back there and get it back," Ulric shot back, sarcastically.

The demon rolled its ugly eyes, shaking its head disappointedly, "Truly worthless. I can't believe I w's stupid enough to make a deal with ya."

"You needed somebody to do your dirty work," Ulric replied, his voice nearly as hollow as the ash beneath his feet, his head cocking backward toward Colin, "Sure he's the one?"

The demon nodded, "He's rather close to Elune, I can tell. Perhaps even touched by her. Xavius was rather clear; with Ysera killed, there's only one Aspect with any such care of Elune's light, now."

Ulric's livid eyes gleamed with intensity, "Alexstraza…"

Cackling, the demon mused, "Kha ha! He should do just fine. Soon as she senses that mark on him, she'll show up to investigate."

Ulric's face screwed in confusion, "What mark?"

He turned to look over his shoulder, his eyes widening in surprise just as Colin cocked his good leg back, jamming it straight into Ulric's ankle, knocking the man to the ground with a deep yelp. Freezing his hands to catch himself, Ulric growled as he fell on all fours, turning to stare at Colin with a ferocious intensity as his prisoner started pushing himself back against the shimmering ash below, kicking up the grey silt, turning it over into a trail of black as he hurried away, dragging with him his bad leg.

Ulric huffed as he stood, the demon having evaporated at the slightest sign of trouble, leaving the rugged man to stomp over toward Colin, his fists both clenched in furiosity, "You'll pray that you hadn't done that."

Colin's face had already been turning in pain, but now he wore a deep look of rebellion as he stared up at Ulric, "You'll have to kill me before you use me to kill _anybody_."

Shaking his head, Ulric grinned evilly, "When I broke your leg, I didn't think you'd have quite this much fight left in you. Shame I'll have to tear up the other one. You have nowhere to go; it's just you and me out here."

"So what, are dragons your definition of big game?" Colin asked, skittering backwards along the ashen ground.

Ulric's teeth showed as he seethed, maliciously, "You've no idea, kid. Now, no more games!"

He suddenly broke into a dash toward Colin, whose brow fell angrily as he clenched a fist, suddenly slamming it into the ground as a massive burst of flame scorched the air around him, forcing Ulric to skid to a stop along the ash, his body quickly reorienting himself as a plume of smoke began to rise into the sky from the sudden conflagration.

* * *

The group quickly stopped, having gone about halfway down the mountain's face when a sudden explosion caught their attention. Kyra gasped as her eyes squinted, trying to make out the source of the blast, but all she could see was a horribly out-of-place cloud of dark smoke far off into the distance.

"That has to be Colin!" she shouted, almost worriedly.

Vylira frowned as she agreed, "There isn't any other mage out here who could cause a cloud that thick into the sky, that's for sure…"

"Did he encounter trouble, thought?!" Kyra wondered.

Syheath glared toward her sisters, "You think Ulric is with him?"

"If he is," Vylira muttered, unenthusiastically, "Was that blast for _him_ , or something else?"

Tandkota and Parvaen shared glances as Syheath groaned, "I just don't… What's going on with him?! I've known him for years and he's never been this strange in all that time; this is far beyond a mood swing. and Remnaar has known him longer than anyone-"

She paused once she turned to Remnaar, the draenei staring worriedly across the bitter landscape of the Blight, his voice escaping him unfortunately, "Could that have been a dragon?"

Vylira turned to him, curiously, "What do you-?"

"The Red Dragonflight, perhaps?"

A chill ran down Kyra's spine at the assertion that it might not have been her mate down there. That there was still a possibility that he'd been killed in the fall. After all, given his connection with one particular being of the dragonflight…

"What are you talking about?" Tandkota muttered, breaking his silence as though he'd been bound by something divine, "The dragonflight don't meddle in the affairs of mortals."

Remnaar sighed, pulling Ulric's bag from off his shoulder, reaching into its depths, "I remembered a while back, but… Knowing Ulric might have perished, I didn't want to needlessly tarnish his image."

"Tarnish his… Rem, what's going on?!" Syheath wondered loudly.

He bit his lip as he pulled out the knife from earlier, a particularly devilish-looking thing, which caused Parvaen's eyes to widen, "I noticed this when I was picking up his stuff. Parv, you said it's used to pierce dragon scales?"

The blood elf couldn't nod in reply, as he and everybody else came to the same conclusion, though it was Kyra who spoke up first, to Vylira, though everybody else heard her, "That's why he needed us alive."

The others stared as Vylira nodded in reply, leaving Syheath to exclaim, "What?! What's going on?!"

Kyra raised a hand to bury her face within her palm while Vylira answered with a sigh, "Colin was touched by a Sister two years ago. For whatever reason, Elune left her mark on his cheek; I don't know how, but Ulric seems to have figured that out."

She groaned, "He must be using him to lure Alexstraza out."

"Is he insane?!" Parvaen exclaimed, "The dragonflight may well be gods! What is he trying to do, just hunt down the fiercest of them all?!"

Kyra quickly looked back out across the Blight, a determined expression reaching across her face. She suddenly made a dash toward the edge of the cliffs, sliding to a stop and peering down as if ascertaining a quicker way down, much to Vylira's chagrin.

"I hope you're not thinking what you, indeed, already are," her elder sister spoke, sardonically, crossing her arms disapprovingly.

Kyra looked back over her shoulder, only offering an assertive glare before spinning backwards and beginning to shake down the side of the mountain, leaving Vylira to stomp over to the edge herself, shouting, "Kyra!"

"I won't allow myself to go anywhere else but to _him_ ," Kyra replied, louder, as she made her way further down, "At least, this way, I know I did everything I could."

Vylira rolled her eyes, turning toward Syheath and the others, who all held surprised faces while their leader frowned at her sister, "I know what you want to do."

"You know it's only because I know and trust that you'll be safe, right?" Vylira clarified, "If I leave _her_ alone for any scale of time, she'd have been dead long ago."

Syheath replied with only a deep stare, quietly stipulating, "Don't kill him. Whatever's going on, it's not the man we know."

"You have my word."

"Alright," Syheath finished, turning to her men, "Let's get all this stuff down there yesterday."

Tandkota readily picked up what Vylira and Kyra had dropped, gently kicking Remnaar forward from behind, "You're up, my azure brother."

The draenei chuckled, taking the lead at dredging through the snow, "I'll try not to show off too much!"

Vylira nodded as Syheath waved her off, turning to join her group, leaving her elder sister to begin working her way down the sharp, jagged cliffs that ran along the edge of the Blight, down toward the shimmering land below.

* * *

Colin breathed heavily as he sat atop the endless ash below him, his heart having been sent racing after causing such a massive blow to stop Ulric in his tracks, though the hunter only smirked as he stood just a few paces away. Colin held his hand up high as if to defend himself, though Ulric only laughed, amused at the sight before him.

"You think that'll stop me?" Ulric teased, evilly, "You see him, don't you? Over my shoulder."

Colin's eyes wandered to where had mentioned, though he couldn't see anything besides the blinding light of the sun. As intently as he looked, his eyes began to water, forcing him to blink, though in the split second between closing his eyes and not even a moment before, that dark demon appeared, overlooking the two of them. Colin's face grew pale at the sight, causing Ulric to laugh at the sight.

"Aerxaxx allows no harm to befall me," Ulric mused, "Were you to send all the fires of Azeroth to descend upon me, he would protect me. He protected me from the one thing that frightens me the most, and if he can do that, my faith in him has only calcified."

Ulric stepped forward, forcing Colin to grimace as he blew a sharp, bellowing stream of fire from his fist right into Ulric's chest, the flurry of flame only dispersing across Ulric's body as he smirked, being snuffed out as it disappeared behind him. Colin's eyes widened in horror as Ulric continued toward him, though at a certain point, he stopped, turning over his shoulder, taking a serious look toward the dark entity behind him.

Colin heard the demon's incessant giggling, "Hee hee! Lost yer knife! Human, yer abilities leave lot's t' be desired!"

"I said fuck off," Ulric angrily sneered.

The demonic giggling continued, "Here! I give you 'nother!"

Despite the demon's seeming invisibily, Ulric reached at his side, grasping a bit of air until a serpentine-like dagger materialized in his hand, Aerxaxx musing in between sadistic giggles, "I want't tested! Kill this human with it! I want ta see him squirm just like tha otha dragon did at Xavius' command!"

Ulric turned toward Colin with a look of indifference, but despite that, he threw the curving dagger into the air, catching it backwards in his hand as if about to plunge it into a body right then and there as Aerxaxx cackled excitedly, dancing in place and clapping his hands together expectantly.

Colin quickly threw another ball of flame at Ulric, though he easily managed to throw an arm across his body, snuffing the ball of fire out of thin air, grumbling aloud, "It's time."

Resigned to remaining stationary, given his leg, Colin could only reach up to stop Ulric as he dropped to a knee beside Colin, forcing a hand past his awaiting hands to grab a large handful of his hair, yanking his head forward enough to give him a swift punch despite his resistance, rattling him enough to helplessly drop his arms, hanging only by his hair, seeing nothing in his vision but glittering stars, unaware of Ulric cocking his hand back, prepared to shove that knife into his chest.

As Colin's eyes lazily spun upward to meet Ulric's, the men suddenly threw his arm forward, teeth gritting with intensity as he drove the knife straight into-

*BOOM*

Before he could make contact, Ulric's body suddenly flew back in a burst, a divine sonic boom of a zephyr throwing him back onto the ground, furiously making his way back up, an immediate astonishment drawing across his face as Colin sat there, head fallen in a daze, but the brilliant light at his cheek was unmistakable. The pale blue light casting down onto the ash was light a fire as Aerxaxx stepped away in horror, throwing his arm in front of him in defense.

As Aerxaxx received, Ulric stared down at the glowing light, almost mesmerized, completely ignoring the demonic outburst from behind him, "Man'ari! Fucking hell; gor'om haguul!"

The demon kicked a hoof into the ash beneath him, grabbing ahold of Ulric and spinning him around, throwing him into the ground with a loud *THUD*, forcing Ulric's breath to escape him, "You fucking finish this, human! We'll never get a better shot, you…you… ARGH! A-rul shach kigon!"

Ulric's eyes strained as he peered skyward, Aerxaxx still on his tirade as he began swinging off, "I'm making scarce; that anach kyree will be here any moment. Do _not_ fail me, human!"

As Aerxaxx walked off in a fury, a swift wind kicked up behind him, a spout of ash cloaking him as he vanished, behind the wall of sediment. Ulric quickly made his way onto his stomach, groaning painfully as he clutched his abdomen, cursing beneath his breath as he shoved his dagger into a pocket, eyeing Colin's limp body as he tried to figure out what to do. With nothing else, he reached down to grab ahold of Colin's leg again, simply deciding to meander on toward the mighty tower that rose above the ash.

Bending down, however, he paused, a cold breath escaping him as a powerful darkness surrounded him, his eyes dropping as he realized what had just happened. The mighty sound of gargantuan wings broke the air around him as he stood back up, tilting his head backward in disbelief before turning around, his eyes meeting the mighty silhouette of the Queen of Dragons.

Alexstraza had arrived.


	37. Wrath of the Dragon Queen

I apologize for how bad this story has been as of late xD I am well aware that, once Kyra and Colin got to Northrend, the story just took a turn for the horrible, and I do apologize- I truly am going to reconsider any ideas I have for any other 'epic' tales in the future. 'Lacroix', which I honestly believe to be possibly the best story I've ever written, works so much better as a personal, not-epic tale. Granted, I do think the final act of 'Reconcilliation' was really good, so I have no regrets on the whole, but when I can't exactly enjoy writing the story, I know you guys aren't enjoying reading it xD

Thankfully, after this, if I decide to continue the series, it will be in a lot less of scale, with Kyra and Colin on adventures contained to single stories. I know this story is still getting views, so if this is your first time stumbling across my writing, I apologize for this not being my best- I'm literally trying to conclude this story as best as I can without it seeming rushed, which, of course, ends up seeming rushed xD

Sorry, again, for the story turning out like it has! Between my horrible 'action writing' and inevitable rushing, I assure you that there's a pretty cool ending in here somewhere :p

* * *

Ulric stared intently as the mass of scales and wings that lowered to the ground before him with a gigantic *THUD* as Alexstraza's large paws met with the ground, her slithering head waving side to side, curiously as she stared down at the two men, as if ascertaining the situation with no knowledge as to why she'd even come here.

 _"Human."_

Ulric felt a tremor through his body as she spoke, as if her voice had passed through him, reverberating through his bones. He stared with a sort of quiet intensity, though the dragon didn't seem to notice, almost as if she'd been preoccupied peering through to his soul rather than his body. Her voice crackled to life, though her lizard-like jaw didn't bother to move.

 _"Mother's light…"_

Alexstraza's head swayed, curiously, as she worked her head down lower to steal a glance at Colin's still-downturned head, a quiet rumbling escaping her in a curious musing.

 _"You are indeed mortal, yet mother marks you."_

She pulled her head away, turning to Ulric, when her scaled body pulled back, suddenly.

 _"You…are not as you seem."_

Ulric's hands clenched into fists, his lips shaking as he muttered aloud, "No thanks to you, Lifebinder."

Alexstraza's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she watched him, her neck beginning to recoil as she came to understand the soul within him.

 _"Worgen."_

"NO!" Ulric shouted back in a blood-curling yell, drops of tears bursting from his eyes as his body hunched forward, his arms wrapping around his stomach as if he was in pain, his voice shaking through hollow gasps of tears, "I'm not my father…"

Alexstraza's serious gaze didn't leave him as she replied, simply.

 _"You are a product of the viciousness and foolhardy nature of mortals, not of me. What have I to do of this curse that afflicts you? for it was not my doing."_

Ulric growled under his breath, angrily, "You allowed it! My mother did nothing to deserve-!"

In a burst of heated wind, Alexstraza interrupted him with a massive cacophony of draconic voices accompanying her own.

 _"She was born of mortals! I'm I to believe you came all this way to cast blame on_ me _?!"_

Ulric gritted his teeth angrily as Alexstraza shook her head, beginning to turn away to return to her post atop her temple.

 _"Truly foolish beings you are."_

As she stepped away, Alexstraza began to work her powerful wings, kicking up ash beneath her. Ulric's heart had begun to work overtime, his breaths quickening as his fingers curled around the dagger within his pocket. His eyes widened at the sight of Alexstraza's scaly hide, her side nothing more than a few running paces away. A sharp, hot breath escaped his nose as his body leaned forward, his legs immediately bursting into a mad dash as his tears burst out into the air behind him, whipping the dagger out from his pocket.

Alexstraza turned her head, as if noticing his advance, her eyes glowing wide as she watched him close in on her, her backside immediately darting through the air away from him, but in that moment, Ulric made a feral lead through the air, contorting his body in mid-air as he clutched his dagger with both hands, plunging it right into the dragon's thigh as he plummeted right into her body.

 _"GAAAH!"_

The mighty dragon swayed as the stepped backward, feeling the numbness climbing up her body as her face grew an intensely hateful fury as she stared down at Ulric, who'd returned to his feet, returning her stare with his own hateful, tear-strewn one. Alexstraza pushed herself into the air with her mighty forelegs, spinning around and taking a grotesque slash at Ulric, but he only reached an arm up to defend himself, the powerful claw only passing through him, forcing Alexstraza to weakly lean into the ground, having expelled so much energy while her body revolted against her.

"You can't hurt me," Ulric retorted, evilly, "Not anymore, you can't."

A heated breath left Alexstraza, her face not allowing itself to lose its fury as the rest of her body was being forced to. She eyed him with the intensity of the sun itself as plumes of smoke escaped through her gritting teeth, knowing already that she'd be unable to do much more than what she had already done given this state.

Ulric stomped over toward her, shaking his head as the Dragon Queen's body began to fall to the ground lower and lower before he made it back to her backside, eyeing the dagger that had been impaled within her, a sickly, dark miasma running around her scales as that sickness continued weakening her. Ulric reached out, grasping at its handle before yanking it free from her hide as the mighty beast cried out painfully, the scales it had impaled shattering into the very ash that lined the landscape.

Shaking his head, Ulric raised his arm, preparing for the killing blow as he quietly muttered to himself in a quietly pained voice, "This is for you, mom."

He grunted as he prepared to invade this dragon's body once more, but just as he began to drop his arms, the body of Colin flew into his side, knocking the dagger out from his grasp as the two men fell to the ground, leaving Ulric with a feral dash back up to his feet, but Colin grabbed ahold of his ankle, yanking him back to the ground as he wore his own desperate face. With his one good leg, he managed to crawl up Ulric's body in an effort to keep him pinned, but the beastly man only brought his claws down angrily, clawing at whatever he could, knowing his time was running out.

"LET GO!" he demanded with a fury that could only be described as sinister.

Colin refused, reaching his own hand up to deliver a particularly savage blow to Ulric's cheek, trying to wear the man out, "NO!"

As the two men wrestled atop the ground, Alexstraza slowly attempted to force her body to cooperate, her eyes fixated on the brilliant light covering one of the human's faces. With the dagger freed from her, her own body began to counter whatever evil the weapon had taken her into, and she painfully began to pull herself away from the confrontation.

Finally, Ulric had managed to bring his leg up past Colin's body, sending a brutal kick into Colin's side, sending him into a shock that allowing Ulric to desperately shake him off, jumping to his feet as he stomped quickly to the pathetically retreating hide of Alexstraza, bending down only to retrieve his dagger.

Colin's eyes flared open as rushed onto his hands and one good leg, pushing his body up onto his only foot, but before he could fall back down to the ground, he threw his hands down at the ground, a sudden pillar of flame covering each arm, the heat being so immensely searing that trails of vapor carried up above him in a hazy collection of waves. He quickly hopped along with his one foot, the intense heat keeping his body afloat at his eyes narrowed determinedly, biting his lip as Ulric grasped the dagger, once again, with both hands.

Colin felt his heart drop as he reached out, darting through the air in any attempt at stopping this man who was so adamant to steal his immortality away from him.

* * *

Kyra rushed down the jagged rocks of the mountain, careful not to catch her foot on any craggy parts that jutted out into her path. She had kept her pace up, and, noticing increased activity out in the Blight, she tried her best to quicken her strides, though not at the sacrifice of her own safety. Coming to a particularly level section of the mountainside, she stopped for a brief moment, leaning over to hold onto her knees, quickly catching her breath as Vylira's footsteps grew closer and closer, ending with a loud *clack* as Vylira's single show smacked into the ground, her breathing far more even than Kyra's.

"Think we'll make it down there in time?" the elder of the two asked, silently thankful for her years of service now.

Still heavily keeled over, Kyra nodded as she gasped for air, "We have to."

Her panting went on, leaving Vylira to hide a groan as she shook her head, looking out into the vastness before them, "Alexstraza's out there now."

"What?!" Kyra questioned loudly, her body jolting up to see the giant body of the dragon shimmering within the outer reaches of her vision, "My god…"

Vylira turned to her, "If we're going to beat her there, we need to get going. Want me to go ahead?"

"N-No," Kyra answered, quickly, "I'm ready."

She made her way to the ledge, working her way down again, as Vylira stayed back to give the two some room in their decension. Following behind her, the two went at a slower pace than before, but that wasn't so much due to Kyra's exhaustion. She'd had something of a nagging thought in her mind for the last while, like a slithering bit of thought that meandered around her brain instead of letting itself be known. She wasn't sure if it was due to her own lack of focus or not, though the thought frightened her. What if it was to help her?

Kyra came to a particularly nasty crevice beneath her, stopping her from advancing. She quickly decided to round the thing, beginning parallel to the mountain as she stared down, trying to find any spot that she could jump over or pass in general. Her feet skittered around, hastily, as her mind raced, her eyes scanning the crevice for any sign of a pathway, her mind racing as she saw furious blast of flame along the grey expanse of ash.

She gasped, a shot of worry bursting through her mind as her head jumped up, her foot catching the lip of some crag in the rock, sending her tripping over, falling over, almost in slow motion as she turned her head down, her body falling so slowly into that abyssal pit just in front of her, her eyes flying wide open as she reached her hands out, desperately reaching for anything to catch her fall.

In a split second, however, she stopped in mid-air, a weak gasp escaping her mouth as she hung there, just above sure death, stating in bewilderment at the endless darkness in front of her. She suddenly noticed that there had been a hand at her shoulder, and that it wasn't Vylira's.

A chill ran down her spine, recognizing the large hand of a man keeping her afloat, though she hadn't any idea to what end that would be the case. She heard the clattering of rocks from behind her as Vylira caught up, her voice rising up in desperation.

"Hey!" she shouted, "Let her go!"

Only silence accompanied the hand, though as Vylira caught up and noticed the predicament, she altered her speech, "Okay, pull her up first and then let her go! Who are you?!"

Ever so slowly, Kyra felt herself being pulled back up and I to a second hand that grabbed at her side, pulling her back onto her feet, her body still in enough of a shock to forget to look around to catch the man's face. She heard a soft, gentle chuckle behind her as Vylira drew her sword, not impressed with the man's lack of urgency.

"Hey! Let her go!" Vylira demanded, more heated, give the man's nonchalance.

Kyra began to turn her head, but the man's voice beat her to the punch, her movement pausing immediately as she recognized the man's deep voice and archaic cadence, "Surely this one will vouch for me."

Her head finished whipping around, her eyes widening as they met the face of Ascal, whose face was as stony as ever, though it had grown quite a few saged wrinkles since she had last seen him. She stepped backward to examine him fully, the shock settling throughout her entire body as her jaw dropped.

"Y-You…"

"Were left in Stonetalon?" he answered for her, something of a wry smirk crossing his face, "Yes, and I do appreciate you and Dumerval making such comfortable accommodations while I slept. No doubt you called upon your experience as a Sentinel."

Still lost in her bewilderment, Kyra failed to correct him, but Ascal seemed to understand, simply nodding as he finished, "The earthroot, particularly, was a hospitable touch. And this must be your eldest sister?"

Vylira approached the two apprehensively, accepting Ascal's handshake as the druid offered his hand, "My Lady speaks quite highly of you. I'm quite fortunate to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, uh…thank you," Vylira managed, her own confusion making itself known.

Ascal nodded approvingly, turning toward the sky-strewn tower far off in the distance, "Look, I understand you two are in a hurry, but the three of us have a task of far greater importance. Your mate will be safe in Alexatraza's hands, however, My Lady has her own sights sets on a different task."

Kyra eyed him curiously, having now been able to focus on reality, "Hold on; you mean Ysera?"

Vylira's eyes lit up in shock as Ascal confirmed, "Indeed. Unknown to both of them, Alexstraza and Dumerval are unable to complete their task until we handle ours. A particularly nasty satyr is the one pulling Ulric's strings, you see."

The druid allowed something of a crooked grin to appear as he muttered, "Call it revenge. or in more poetic terms, call it the wrath of the Emerald Lady. For Aerxaxx was an apprentice of the satyr who fell Ysera in this realm."

* * *

Ulric sneered devilishly as he threw his two hands down toward the hide of Alexstraza, who was trying, mightily, to curl away from him. Her body was recovering, though it still was fighting against the nefarious magic imbued within the dagger, and as Alexstraza's eyes widened fiercely, she realized that another plunge of the weapon could very well kill her. Still, she couldn't retreat, and Ulric was left to his own devices, his face almost grinning at the thought of revenge for what had been done to his mother.

"HA!" he shouted as his hands descended, though in just a moment, a hand entered his vision as Colin dove forward, throwing his hand in the way of the dagger.

Ulric could only grunt as he was unable to stop his moment, but Colin let loose with a pained groan as the dagger pierced his palm, though it also allowed him to dictate, somewhat, the weapon's trajectory, and he pushed back against the dagger, the serpent head dripping with his blood in time with his pained tears coursed down his face. His teeth bit down hard as he struggled, falling back against Alexstraza herself to brace himself as Ulric shoved the dagger down against him, a furious glow escaping his eyes.

"You…petulant…being…" Ulric grunted, his muscles constricting as he forced the dagger down toward the dragon's hide.

Colin resisted as best he could, though he knew his strength was wanting against the bestial might of this crazed hunter. Every portion of his mind told him to use whatever magic he could, but pinned as he was against Alexstraza, he feared for her own safety as he was swept up in the moment.

Suddenly, he heard a fluttering whisper in his mind, though soon enough, it tore through his psyche like a wild fire catching speed along each and every synapse of his brain.

 _"DO IT, YOU FOOL!"_

Colin grit his teeth as his eyes blew open, the veins along his face suddenly bulging as his blood began to boil. Ulric stared at him, frightfully, throwing whatever energy he had left into his arms, yelling out as he stretched out his muscles to their limit in an attempt to pierce that dragon before Colin could-

In a split second, every inch of Colin's body blew aflame, his clothing fluttering in the near-volcanic breeze, his face twisting angrily as he yanked back his free hand, turning it into a fist before making a mad slam against Ulric's face, sending the man flying back a good few feet onto the ground, rolling to a stop as Colin remained where he was, grabbing at his wrist as the pain from his palm radiated insanely fast down his arm as the flames that licked at his body began to die down.

He looked up, noticing Ulric's lifeless body, giving him the chance to collect his breath before yanking the dagger back out through his hand with a gasp of air.

 _"Fear not, human. That magic is only evil to dragons."_

Colin nodded, eying Ulric carefully as he replied to the Queen of Dragons, "Thanks."

He half-turned to examine the wound upon her backside, but just caught the soft visage of Ulric's arms pulling along the ashes beneath him, working their way up so that he could push himself up to his knees, a soft, out of rhythm cackling escaping him in between breaths, "Ha…heh… Not over…boy."

Colin watched him in shock, though Alexstraza stared at him with critical eyes, her voice blowing heatedly through the breeze.

 _"You come complaining about your parents' human bodies being stripped from them. Yet you offer your body to the sickly defense of a satyr. Pitiful."_

Ulric chuckled maniacally before calming himself, the demonic eyes of another creature suddenly appearing atop his face, just above a sinister collection of sickly teeth and a slithering tongue, his voice a giddy song of malevolence, "Hee… Good luck. You've no place fer talkin', she-beast. I'll c'rve the name'f Xavius in yer hide!"

* * *

Syheath's vision strained as she stared out, a worried expression crossing her as Parvaen exhaustedly spoke up, coming along behind her with both shoulders loaded to the bone with bags, "You caught wind of it as well?"

Nodding sorrowfully, Syheath replied, "You don't need to have heard it before to know that was the cry of a dragon. and a mighty one at that."

They had made it down the mountain, though they now only sat on the border between Crystalsong and the Blight, leaving quite a massive distance between them and the temple. Tandkota and Remnaar had both nearly collapsed upon descending, with the draenei falling onto his back in exasperation.

Parvaen had begun organizing the number of bags the two of them had simply dropped to the ground in their tire when he had noticed the reverberating sound of a pained dragon crossing his ears, noticing Syheath's distant expression as she stared off into the distance. He only sighed, shaking his head as he pulled bag after bag into a neat pile off the side of the road.

"You know," Parvaen groaned, dramatically, "We're all good here if you just want to run off and-"

Instantly, Syheath took off, kicking up a bevy of ash up into the air as her feet dashed across the ground, looking over her shoulder just long enough to shout, "Take care of yourselves!"

Parvaen rolled his eyes, staring pitifully at the two masses of bodies that took up so much of the ground, reaching up to scratch his chin, "Well, I suppose we need yet another leader."

Remnaar's head rolled to the side, "Kota?"

"No," the tauren answered, muttering weakly underneath his sore muscles, "You."

"Argh," Remnaar complained, "I'd just institute mandatory naps. Parv. You're responsible."

The blood elf frowned, though whatever he had begun to think, it mattered little as the two men quickly fell to sleep, leaving Parvaen to finish up organizing the camp with a dismayed expression, complaining quietly to himself in Thalassian.

"Dorithur ash'therod…" he complained, mutteringly.


	38. Ysera's Vengeance

Ulric's body lumbered toward the two, though even Colin could tell that this was no longer the human he'd known for just a few days. He backed up closer to Alexstraza, holding onto her to keep himself upright, almost unaware that she was currently lacking most of her power, but with a massive gash piercing his palm and no use of a leg, Colin was barely thinking of attacking or defending himself.

 _"Aerxaxx…"_

Alexstraza's voice coiled around Colin's ears as she spoke, vengefully, leaving Ulric's body to vibrate alongside a gleeful laugh, "Hee hee! Indeedee! Here to sev'r _your_ fuckin' life!"

 _"Not content with one life, your host's, I see."_

Aerxaxx cackled, "He was more th'n willin' to give it t' me. You've made plenty o' en'mies, bitch, not th' least of 'em me!"

Alexstraza visibly appeared annoyed behind her viperous stare.

 _"Am I to be responsible to every mortal's corruption? It was not I who ordered you and your brethren to swear fealty to the Legion."_

"No, you jus' let us rot away und'r Sargeras' influence," Aerxaxx contended, his giddiness melting into anger, "Fer a god, it surely seems as though you'd the power t' reverse such evils."

 _"That is where your misunderstanding lies, demon."_

Aerxaxx grumbled maliciously under his breath, his cold steps seemingly overturning the ash they stood upon as Colin's curious expression turned fierce. The memories flooded back to him; he had once questioned such things before, himself- on that mountaintop in Hyjal. Though, he'd been seeking _help_ from the goddess he'd come to know so much more well as Elune. This being sought a goddess for vengeance. for death.

Colin began to hop over along Alexstraza's body, trying to intercept Ulric's path as he closed in, a sickly swirl of dark atmosphere collecting at the Ulric's hand, the satyr's voice reappearing as it seemed to notice Colin, "You've already seen, hum'n. You cannot hurt a demon. Th'nks to that dragon you defend; I h've nothing more ta lose."

 _"I'll be pleased to teach you how wrong you are, demon. The amount of eternal tortures that I can offer you are mastadonic."_

"See how she talks, hum'n?" Aerxaxx sneered, "If ya value yer life, I suggest ya forfeit th's mission of yers to help this she-beast."

Colin's breaths grew more labored, as Alexstraza's body was quite massive, and as he made it near the Dragon's Queen's shoulder, where Ulric was headed, he eyed the satyr with eyes alight, seeing thousands of years into the future as he coldly replied, "Even if I _did_ want to forfeit my place, I'm no longer the only one holding my existence to this world. and she wouldn't have me surrendering to the likes of you."

"Terr'ble pity," Aerxaxx grinned, shaking Ulric's head, "Greater beings than you have died for such meaningless ideals."

A smirk rose across Colin's face as he eyed down the pair of satyr eyes, Ulric's legs suddenly breaking into a sprint toward him as Aerxaxx cackled malevolently, raising the dagger into the air. Alexstraza's body didn't even bother to move, for her eyes were transfixed on Colin in wholly curious intent.

Just a few speeding paces away, Aerxaxx let loose with a gruesome laughter, but just as he did, Colin pushed himself off of Alexstraza's body, his arms tensing greatly as a plume of sulfuric air left his mouth in a massive exhalation. Out of nowhere, the ground rumbled beneath their feet, and a wall of fire suddenly burst up from the ashen soil like a chorus of burning fuel. Aerxaxx slid to a stop, his eyes widening furiously as his path had been cut off, quickly staring at the ground to notice the endless amounts of ash that this human was using for kindling, bringing back from the centuries the breaths of countless dragons.

Colin's eyes lit up as his hands opened, directing the wild licks of flame with his fingers as a cocky smile reached over him, "Courtesy of my better half. Looks like those ideals just stopped you in your fucking tracks, my friend."

Aerxaxx released a demonically furious seething from his clenched teeth, his lips slowly, gradually, curling into a grin as he began to shake his head, "You say that like this body means something to me…"

With a coarse grinding, Ulric's feet slid across the ash beneath him, taking a step toward the massive pillars of flame, bracing himself as he threw an open hand into the flames, Ulric's body contorting and nearly collapsing to the ground as a bloodcurdling scream escaped from the body Aerxaxx inhabited, Ulric's voice breaking through any inhibiting barrier as he cried out, "GAAAAAAH!"

Colin's eyes flew open, quickly throwing his arms to the side as he fell back against Alexstraza's body, no longer able to keep himself afloat as the flames immediately dispersed, Ulric falling onto one knee as he clutched his wrist, staring horrifically as his hand, which was now devoid of skin, only showing a mass of muscle and bone that had somehow survived the incineration. Colin gasped at the sight, watching the teardrops falling from Ulric's eyes as he shook there, his head held low as painful gasped escaped him, his arm shivering as if it had been shaken by somebody else.

"U-Ulric…" Colin muttered, worriedly, almost quivering, himself, at what he'd done.

Ulric's face jumped back up, revealing the still-sinister grin of Aerxaxx, who hopped up to Ulric's feet and dashed toward Alexstraza, his good hand still wielding the dagger as he fell forward, burying the sharp weapon into her scales, sending the Queen of Dragons into a fierce, painful howl, her body weakly falling over to the side as she tried, desperately, to remain steady, feeling the now-familiar demonic poise coursing through her body.

Colin fell forward, clutching the dagger that Aerxaxx had left there, the satyr simply stepping back as he cackled allowed, raising his head to the heavens, "Bwah ha ha hah!"

Yanking the dagger from the dragon's body, Colin angrily threw his body into Ulric's, sending the both of them to the ground as Colin threw punch after punch into the demon's face, tears running down his face in his sheer anger, though Aerxaxx only continued to laugh, sending Ulric's body shaking heartily from his humorous activity.

"Try hum'n! Try, try again! Ha ha haaa!" Aerxaxx cackled sinisterly, "That she-beast will join the ash of this land soon enough!"

Colin furiously threw his body upward from the sheer force of winding his arm up into the air, his barred teeth showing him like a crazed animal himself as he eyed that face he now hated so much, bringing his entire weight onto Ulric's face.

"GAH!" came the voice of, not Ulric, but Aerxaxx, the demon quickly staring up toward Colin with a now-tremendous fear.

Colin's fist wound up again, sending another switch punch into the demon's jaw, Aerxaxx releasing another pained cry, Ulric's body now shaking in terror as the satyr desperately tried to cover his face, "W-Why?!"

* * *

Ascal quickly fell back behind their stone cover, hurriedly explaining, "Okay! He's just taken ahold of his puppet, just as I thought! Now, we need to think of a-"

Kyra immediately hopped over the rocks, not bothering to plan for anything as her feet slammed into the facing below, her body crouching down to handle the blow, sending Aerxaxx into a mad twist of his neck toward her, his face blurred within some phase distortion, though his anger was plain enough through the haze.

"What 's this?!" he demanded, stomping toward Kyra.

She quickly rushed up toward him, jumping right at him, sending a knee directly at his face, though he quickly grasped ahold of it, sending Kyra's momentum right over his head and onto the opposite side of him, the satyr quickly spinning around to eye her critically.

"C'me on, bitch; y' wanna fuckin' play?!" he shouted with a demonic roar.

Before he act further, his legs were swept out from beneath him, sending him falling backwards as Vylira threw a hand through the air, grasping his neck and using her entire body weight to throw him straight into a nearby rock facing, the satyr quivering as he crashed into the rock, shaking his head as he quickly returned to his feet.

His face remained distorted, half of his power being used to control Ulric, but there was enough of his physical presence for the Silverwings to clearly notice the fury pouring from his mouth, "I'VE WAITED TOO LONG FOR THIS!"

Aerxaxx's arms shot out, sending a large, sickly tentacle shooting out from some dark void that manifested just before his hand, the appendage flying through the air toward Vylira until Kyra slid low toward her, kicking her sister's feet out from under her, sending her falling below the ghastly presence. Aerxaxx grumbled heatedly as he reigned in the creeping tentacle, which floundered about in that void that encased his hand.

" _You will fall…"_ he whispered quietly, his arm shaking wildly, " _Your lives are forfeit…"_

As the Silverwings returned to their feet, they managed to see Ascal above the satyr without moving their eyes toward him, not giving him away. The druid's eyes remained multicolored, though a terrified look crossed his eyes. He threw out a hand, shaking his head with a dignified air.

"Aerxaxx!" he shouted, heatedly, forcing the satyr to wildly spin around to find the source of his word.

Sensing his chances diminishing, Aerxaxx began skittering in place, his head jumping back and forth as his feet slid back and forth, "Come down, elf! Let me end that life of yours, too!"

Aerxaxx threw his hand out, sending the tentacle flying through the air like the cracking of a whip, attempting to intimidate the druid, though Ascal remained firm, "You chose the wrong beings to hunt down, demon. You seriously think that the Emerald Lady could be felled so easily by your master?"

Growing more apprehensive, Aerxaxx's teeth shown in sick alignment, his voice straining fearfully as he eyed the two Silverwings, "Enough of this!"

He dashed toward the two, sending the tentacle flying toward the both of them, and while Kyra managed to duck away, the satyr directed the slithering barb at Vylira, just catching her around the neck as she gasped, horrified, "Gaaah!"

Aerxaxx laughed maniacally, dragging her to the ground as he spun around, realizing his newly acquired bargaining chip, "Bah ha! Come get me now, elves!"

Kyra's eyes grew suddenly at the sight of her sister, Vylira remaining unmoved on the stone ground, save for a few movements throughout her body which could only be described as writhing inside of her. Her eyes remained wide open, a dark light slowly covering her brilliant light as the tentacle dug into her neck.

At this, Ascal immediately through a hand up into the air, his face contorting into a fierce look as Aerxaxx continued to laugh, shaking his horned head, "Last chance, druid! You act, she dies! I've killed every sort of druid on this world; I know exactly what you're going to do before you do it!"

Ascal's lips turned into a cocky smirk as his rainbow eyes shut tightly, "No you don't."

Aerxaxx stared up at the man, curiously, but quickly turned back toward Vylira, not knowing exactly what Ascal was up to. He furiously reached down to take a hold of her, but Kyra threw her body into the satyr's side, though it failed to faze him. He simply grasped Kyra's head and forced her to the ground with a *thud*, yanking Vylira's body up into the air toward Ascal.

"Three!" he shouted, counting down, "TWO!"

 _"Aerxaxx!"_

A female voice broke through the very air that surrounded the four of them, cackling like a meteor through the very incineration of the atmosphere above them. Aerxaxx's eyes fearfully shot open as he looked around, hunting for the source of that god-like voice.

"W-Who's there?!"

Ascal's eyes opened, revealing a rainbow-colored sheen over both his eyes, "Ysera."

Another massive crackle popped through the air as Aerxaxx took a terrifying spin around, still hunting for the voice as his eyes grew massive in his fright.

 _"I see you."_

The satyr began to sweat a horrible liquid, the world beginning to spin around him as he looked, back and forth, his eyes covering the landscape surrounding him.

 _"I know you."_

His teeth chattered.

 _"And I know whose dominion you reside beneath."_

Aerxaxx's eyes blackened as the tentacle quickly unwound from Vylira's neck, the night elf gasping back to life as her limbs suddenly burst back to life, grasping at her face as she coughed, desperately. The barb slithered back into the void, but in a split second, Ascal had appeared directly before the satyr, reaching out and grasping at the tentacle just as the last of it nearly disappeared into the void.

 _"N'zoth."_

Aerxaxx's body went cold as Ascal reached toward the tentacle with his other hand, grasping at it and yanking it back out from that void, like a fisherman viciously yanking a line from the ocean, his arms flying forward in rhythm to continuously pull the beastly barb out.

Aerxaxx's eyes shot black as he froze in place, a vicious whispering running through his mind.

"Kill."

"Do it."

"Chop it off."

"Now."

The satyr's eyes watered as he grasped a dull knife that hung from his belt, lifting it into the sky as his tears flew all over the place, Ascal's eyes watching him as he went on, knowing that he wasn't the true recipient of the blade's edge. Indeed, Aerxaxx dropped his hand, viciously, into his arm, a blood-curdling cry escaping him as the knife severed his skin, muscles, and nerves.

"Gaaahahaaa…" he cried, pitifully, viciously chopping at his arm, rushing to sever the void that encompassed his hand as Ascal continued pulling on the resisting tentacle.

"You have no-"

A final, decisive slash and Aerxaxx's arm fell to the ground, the rest of his body falling to its knees as he collapsed into a blubbering river of tears and snot, his body shaking horribly. Kyra, crouched at her sister's side, watch in terror as the satyr's arm flopped along the ground before slowly covering itself in a black mass before dissolving into the ground. The blackness followed up the length of the tentacle, right up into Ascal's hands, the barb dissolving before him as his rainbow eyes watched, curiously.

Aerxaxx's face returned to normal, now unable to match his full strength, and he quickly worked his way up to his feet, desperately trying to escape by working his way down the mountain, crying horribly as he clutched what was left of his arm, his cowardice finally getting the better of him. Kyra quickly grasped her sword, her teeth barred as she jumped after him, but Ascal quickly stopped her, pointing up into the sky.

"My Lady will take care of it," he assured, reverently, "Do not worry."

* * *

Aerxaxx pitifully ran across the ashen sands of the Blight, his tears running down in such copious amounts that they stained the ground beneath him as his body weakened further and further, more and more of his blood gushing out from his arm. His body's quivering had increased further and further, his head still turning back and forth, trying to find that voice that had quieted the voices within his mind, worried that its silence meant the end for him.

He slowed as he slowly reached his head up for the first time, a gasp escaping him as he noticed the bright light sitting in the sky, his eyes growing fearfully, like saucers, as he steeled his resolved, returning to dashing across the ash with a desperation that brought more tears to his face.

"Don't!" he pleaded, ""Please!"

 _"When you see your master, and I do not mean Xavius, within the nether, tell him…"_

Aerxaxx fell to his knees, knowing his time had run out. He bowed his head into his chest, clutching his scalp with his one hand, digging his sharp, twisted nails into his skin as he fell into a pile of quivering nothingness.

 _"Tell him that it's his turn to drown within a circle of stars."_

Above the satyr, high above the very heavens that surrounded Azeroth, within the vastness of space, a single star coursed through the vacuum of nothingness, shooting like a comet through the fiery atmosphere above Northrend.

Aerxaxx's teeth clenched as he angrily muttered, more to himself, "Until next t-"

With the mighty roar of the sun itself, that star careened into the ground surrounding the satyr, shattering into a cacophony of brilliant starlight that left the very ash devoid of the satyr's presence. The glittering bits of starlight sparkled through the air for just a moment before settling atop the ash of the Blight.

 _"For you, Sister."_

* * *

 _ **A/N: In my Word doc, Aerxaxx's mind whispers are right-justified, which FF has no setting for. I hate to give them the prominence that center-justified gives, but it's the best I can do with this formatting xD**_


	39. Across the Ashen Landscape

Ulric's eyes opened up, weakly, meeting the pale blue of the sky above, a sweltering pain running all over his face, to the point where his jaw felt locked up when he tried to open his mouth, feeling out the pain that consumed his body. He reached his hand up, rubbing his face, able to feel the large bruises that sat there, figuring he had been lying there for quite a while, given how bad they felt.

Slowly lifting his torso off the ground, grunting painfully the whole way as his muscles tensed up, sore to their deepest reaches. His eyes squinted beneath the powerful sunlight that reflected off the ground beneath him, coming even more powerfully off the grandiose, shining tower in the distance, its golden spires shimmering brilliantly as Ulric's eyes adjusted. Staring at the ashen earth beyond his feet, his brain slowly unraveled, recalling bits and pieces as to what had happened.

He remembered not being in control of his own body after Aerxaxx had fully corrupted him, but that was about it as he sat there, rubbing his face, enduring the gentle numbness that followed all g where his fingers slid.

Colin.

"God damn," he chuckled to himself, vaguely recalling the visage of Colin atop of him, just able to make out the ramshackle punches that blew down upon his face.

His eyes opened up, turning to examine Wyrmrest Temple in the distance, himself being about halfway between it and the mountains he remembered traversing, just barely catching the distant shadows of airborne dragons, circling the temple's magnificent apex. Ulric's eyes followed the tower upward, attempting to recall what his mother had told him about the Aspects as a child in some book or fairytale.

"Let's see… A clever un' is Neltharion, a spellweaver at most is Malygos, Ysera's one mysterious, as swift as a topaza is Alexatra-"

A chill ran down his spine as a gush of memories flooded his mind, suddenly remembering the whole of his encounter with the Dragon Queen. He reached up, clenching his chest as his heart raced, the dragon's voice pouring over him like an overflowing kiln, even in his memory.

"I'll be pleased to teach you how wrong you are, demon."

"Am I to be responsible to every mortal's corruption?"

"The amount of eternal tortures that I can offer you are mastadonic."

Wrapped his arms around his chest, breathlessly, feeling a fiery pain at his hand as it made contact with himself, a gasp escaping him as he noticed what had been left of his hand, which was only charred muscle tissue and bone, his skin having entirely been torn off. At the recalling of Alexatraza's words, Ulric had already become overwhelmed, but now the sight of his hand increased her tremors, his face growing red as a mass if tears began to fall from his eyes, covering him as he buried his face in his one good hand, thinking back to his mother's words of so many years ago.

He whispered to himself, sadly, his voice croaking as his shoulders shook with every gasp of tearful air, "You wanted me to forget you. To forget you and my father… To not chase after revenge for what he was…"

His hand ran up his face and through his hair as he buried his face ever lower, "If I'd forgotten you, who'd have been with me all these years?"

Shaking his head, he stared at his hand curled into his lap, witnessing the result of all that hate he'd endured so many years ago, back in Tiristfal. Though he had no idea how it had happened, the idea of Alexstraza confronting him left quite little to the imagination.

Gradually, he began to notice the gentle pattering of speedy footsteps making their way across the hollow ash toward him, the footfalls growing with strength as they drew nearer and nearer, though Ulric was too absorbed in his thoughts to make any attempt to demonstrate to the newcomer that he'd noticed them.

The steps slowed to a stop, leaving only the heavy breathing of the woman Ulric knew was Shadowmoon as she tried to catch her breath, holding herself up by her knees as she keeled over, "I thought you were in danger! You and Colin fell down the mountain; after those explosions and shit, I didn't know what had happ-"

Ulric raised his head toward her, causing her to gasp as she nearly recoiled in place, her brow furrowing in worry as his tear-stained face stared up at her, emotionlessly, though in a moment's time, a gentle smile arose at his lips, "Sorry."

"Sorry?!" she cried out, stomping up toward him, "That's all you can say?! Motherfucker, I'm about to kill you right now for having made me worry to death and killing my heart and lungs just rushing out here!"

She knelt beside him, reaching up to examine his bruised face, yanking her hand back suddenly once he groaned out loud in pain, grinning, "I didn't know that man had it in him."

"Who, Colin? He did this to you?!" Shadowmoon questioned, angrily.

Ulric nodded, "Yeah, but- Surely you knew I wasn't being myself."

Frowning, Shadowmoon sighed, "I suppose it makes it easier that you're admitting to it. I think we all had no idea what to do when you started pulling the weirdest shit- I mean, you've had us all fell some pretty monstrous creatures, but at least we can buy _that_ sort of crazy. Taking prisoners was some pretty odd shit, coming from you."

"I guess I deserved it, then," Ulric smiled, faintly, as Shadowmoon pulled away, content with her examination as she stood, "We'll have to get some herbs to help the bruising, but you should be fine within a week or two."

"You sure about that?" Ulric questioned, rhetorically, as he reached his good hand up to wipe off his face, revealing what was left of his other extremity, sending Shadowmoon into a horrified, sharp inhalation as her hand covered her mouth.

She immediately fell to her knees once more, frantically reaching for the uncharred portion if his arm, carefully pulling it toward her as she quickly reached for whatever dressing she had on her person, her face leaning closer and closer as tears welled up, gradually worsening her vision as she stared at his injury.

Gently pulling his arm away, Ulric managed a weak smile, "It'll be okay; don't worry about it."

"Okay?!" Shadowmoon shouted feverishly, tears flying from her face as her head whipped up toward him.

Ulric nodded, still smiling, "After whatever happened to expel that demon from within me, I feel recovered enough."

Shadowmoon eyed him curiously through whetted eyes, "…demon?"

He grinned, "After my parents died, I was rather lost. I was alone, afraid; too young to really do much of anything to keep myself protected. I survived solely on my hunting abilities, and I hated that so. My father was a monster, yet I was forced to rely on what he'd taught me. I became a vicious, relentless hunter into my teens, my hatred and anger increasing every day; that bitterness toward my mother being stripped of her humanity…"

Sighing gently, he reached up to scratch at his cheek, "Then, after a matter of time, I began experiencing the symptoms of that horrible worgen virus; whenever I felt in danger or cornered, it seemed to trigger something within me. I was becoming more like my father each day, and I felt more and more angry at my mother's fate. I was a great candidate for any malevolent being, I'm sure."

Ulric chuckled, "So I basically made a deal with a satyr, who promised to keep me alive and help me take revenge on my mother's 'murderer', in a sense, so long as I allow myself to be his vessel when he can't be around. Obviously, I was willing to accept most anything at that time that gave me any sort of drive, particularly that of vengeance."

"I grew older, learned more about life, I moved on," Ulric explained, his eyes sinking regretfully, "I didn't hear a peep from him for years; he was probably entertaining himself with others until I headed out here and he grew interested. Regardless of how much is changed, we'd made a deal, and he was always in my mind. Bringing forth anger I had buried so deep, sending me back into the primal rages of my teenage years. Then when that those travelers said they were coming out here…I could feel that satyr's tendrils entangling my mind, but he wouldn't even allow me to think of questioning him."

Shadowmoon sighed, turning up toward him with a serious face, "Would you really have shot me up on that mountain?"

His eyes growing distant, Ulric grumbled to himself, regretfully, before shutting his eyes, "I don't know. Considering what all he was able to make me do… I hate to think I would have."

"Well then, I have a great deal more thanks to give Colin than I already did," Shadowmoon groaned, "Thanks."

Ulric couldn't help but chuckled behind his closed mouth, smirking widely as he returned to staring at his hand. His face averted, Shadowmoon glanced over toward him, her critiquing eyes following the side of his body, having seen such an incredibly vicious side of him, he now seemed far more serene than she'd ever noticed before.

"Would you have fucked me if you weren't…," she trailed off, muttering under her breath as her eyes shifted to the side, skeptical of his answer.

His eyes curled up toward her, a mischievous smile appearing there, "You know, every time I ended up in those states where I was crippled by heart palpitations and nearly keeping over- basically those times where I was almost more worgen than man… So often, when that happened, I'd never felt more like myself."

He rubbed a finger along his eyed, tiredly, as if knowing what he was saying was crazy, "I started wondering, and came to think that all those times, it was whatever is inside me trying to protect me from that satyr."

"So to answer your question," Ulric laughed, disarmingly, "Yeah, I'm sure I would have. Granted, it was for an odd reason, but I mean, you know, I can't help but see so much trust and independence within you that I admire greatly."

Shadowmoon's lips turned curiously as she thought to herself for a moment, crossing her arms as she began, "You know, I often thought about such things when I was younger; having that sort of relationship with someone. I always figured if it happened to be a one-time deal, I wouldn't bother sticking around. I mean, there's no point being around people with that bad of taste not to take me for forever."

Ulric grinned, "Well I certainly don't want that."

"Good," Shadowmoon concluded out loud, more so to herself before she swallowed the nervous knot in her neck, repeating quietly, "Good…"

"I know just by being around you for so long that you have a difficult time trusting others," Ulric shrugged, "I think you believe that nobody could ever hold that same, immense level of trust in you that you offer to others. If it's worth anything after what all has happened, the other guys and I- I don't think we could survive out here for long without you, now, after having you."

Shadowmoon smirked, tightening her crossed arms against her torso as she rolled her glowing eyes, "I mean, _somebody_ has to keep you all alive and in line. That's why I came all the way out here to get you."

"Really, now," Ulric replied, teasingly, "For a moment, I thought you might have fallen in l-"

He immediately paused as Shadowmoon's neck whipped around toward him, her eyes growing like saucers in surprise, "D-Don't even go there!"

"It was only a joke," Ulric assured her, smiling wryly, "Though, your response says a lot."

She frowned, "I have two sisters ready to take me back home; you'd better watch what you say or I may just take 'em up on that offer!"

"You won't," Ulric retorted, "Because as much as we need you, you need us just the same."

Shadowmoon blushed, her blueish skin collecting two pools of purple at her face as she quickly turned away, shaking her head as she quietly replied, "…shut up."

Ulric chuckled as he slowly began to make his way onto his feet, carefully to keep his injured hand close to his body and away from any activity. Despite her current mood, Shadowmoon quickly jumped to help him along, keeping her hands on either side of him as he stood, shakily, groaning painfully as his muscles ached through.

"That wasn't so bad," Ulric sighed, shaking his head warily, "Thanks for the hel-"

"Syheath," Shadowmoon interrupted, remaining close as she remained holding a grip on both his shoulders.

Ulric eyed her curiously, "Pardon?"

"My name… It's Syheath."

Her head jerked up toward him, angrily, "Look, I'm trying that whole trust thing you just mentioned, okay?"

Ulric grinned, "It's beautiful."

She blushed all the more, suddenly pulling her hands away in an attempt to quell the heat collecting at her face, though as she did so, Ulric began to tip over to the side, unable to remain upright, forcing Shadowmoon to quickly grasp his shoulders again.

"D-Don't embarrass me anymore or I'll let you fall next time," Syheath made clear, weakly.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ulric assured, pain radiating through him from the movement as his breath seethed, "Maybe later there'll be something I wouldn't mind falling into alongside you, but here isn't exactly- WOAH!"

He fell backwards, slamming into the ground as Syheath crossed her arms again, watching him from her upturned face, "Told you."

"Okay, okay," Ulric grinned, accepting her hand as she offered to help him up to his feet, "Thanks for coming out here for me."

Syheath only helped him along, pushing him in front of her so that he wouldn't see her face, so sure that she was, once again, exhibiting her weakness to the power he now wielded over her heart. Slowly, though, she came to know that her trust had to have been well-placed as they walked along toward the temple, figuring they might as well complete the journey.

"Any time," she assured, quietly, long after the fact, "Always."

* * *

Kyra's breath just barely kept up with the rapidity of her lungs as she dashed across the ashen sands, desperately rushing toward Wyrmrest Temple with the hopes of meeting Colin there. Her energy had been revitalized with the conclusion of their little skirmish with Aerxaxx, and she pressed onward, despite her body's gradual resistance to her doing so.

Vylira and Ascal both raced along behind her, though both at a slower pace until Ascal had transformed into a elk, his body much more free to exert the type of energy needed to keep pace with the you gest Shadowmoon. He'd graciously, albeit embarrassingly, allowed Vylira atop of him, who was still weak and slightly out of it from her part in Aerxaxx's assault. She simply draped herself atop his broad back, clutching one arm over her large neck to keep ahold of something to keep from flying off.

Kicking up ash behind him, Ascal's elken head turned into the distance upon noticing two bodies slowly making their at toward the temple, and he quickly dashed forward, catching up with Kyra, who barely heard him as he shouted above his breath, "Another Shadowmoon!"

Kyra's head jerked to the side to, indeed, find Syheath and Ulric slowly making their way across the ash, her legs slowing to a stop as she gasped for air, turning to the druid, who had also slid to a stop at her side, raising his antlers toward the sky as he similarly stared out across the landscape, "Dumerval is not with them."

Kyra grumbled, annoyed, and quickly asked, "You do t know where he is?"

Ascal's long head shook, "My Lady hasn't spoken to me since our run-in with that satyr."

Without warning, Kyra reached over to grasp ahold of a tuft of Ascal's mane, pulling herself up onto his back as he protested, helplessly, "H-Hey! Have you _any_ idea how demeaning this-"

"Please," Kyra muttered, holding onto Vylira's limp body, "I'm sure Ysera would love to know her druid is so caring in the face of uncertainty."

Ascal's wild head meandered over his shoulder, his eyes downcast in unamusement, though he snorted freely as if in annoyance, "Were I not a guest in your home for a year, I'd…"

He grumbled to himself as he gradualy built up speed as his mighty legs petered against the ground, shaking his head sardonically as the three of them made stupendous time. Syheath had noticed them, and slowly lowered Ulric to the ground for a rest, pulling out her satchel in preparation for their arrival, though her eyes turned sour at the sight of Vylira.

"What happened to her?!" she questioned, seriously, as Ascal slowed to a stop.

A thumbs-up slowly managed to lift itself toward Vylira's head as Kyra quickly retorted with her own question, though she was far more I tense, "Where's Colin?! What did you do to him?!"

Ulric's eyes wandered up toward her, just realizing that she was addressing _him_ , "He was gone when I came to. Come to think of it, Alexstraza was nowhere to be found either; perhaps they both left for the Temple?"

Syheath shrugged, "We just figured we'd see it up close; we're the closest we'll ever be, I suppose. You have any bandages?"

"By the gods," Ascal exclaimed, lowly, as Syheath presented the humans hand in explanation.

He carefully allowed the Silverwings to slide down his back and onto the ground before referring back to his elven form and quickly examining the horrific appendage, his eyes nearly clenching shut, "This was done by druidic magic."

"Yeah, and a very pissed off one if my haziness is to be trusted," Ulric chuckled, shaking his head, "Did a number on my face, too."

Ascal's hands glowed a brilliant, emerald green as he began a soothing hold on Ulric's arm, running his other hand over his hand's remains, "This should do for the time being. It will ease the pain and dull the nerves until you can get aid; I'm sure the youngest of this clan is more than ready to-"

Sure enough, as he turned, Kyra had already started toward the massive spires of Wyrmrest Temple, which only stood about two miles away, clearly within running distance. He sighed, his eyes following the now-sleeping body of Vylira, now curled up on the ground, before he turned back into an elk, embarrassingly bringing up a question, "Would you…mind helping her onto my back?"


	40. Mother's Tears

Colin awoke in a haze, his mind spinning as if his skull were a top. Before he could open his eyes, he was quickly captivated by what sounded like wind chimes in a breeze, bellowing about freely, before the sound was interrupted by a low, thunderous voice, as if a rolling thunderstorm was approaching, silencing the gentle breeze. It soon came to Colin that the two sounds worked back and forth, almost as if in conversation; different tones rising and falling in inflection.

Slowly, Colin began to open his eyes, instantly shutting them once again as the brilliant glittering of sunlight on gold assaulted his pupils, his eyelids shutting desperately, nearly forgetting that he had hands to cover himself with. He frightfully noticed that the clashing storm of meteorological language suddenly began to die down, quickly, causing him to worry if he'd been found out in some sinister situation.

On the contrary, a human hand appeared above him, shielding his eyes from the blinding reflection of sunlight, accompanied by a wistful voice of a man crouching low above his head, "Fear not, human."

"You can say that all you want; in his state, he may not even believe you," came the dull roar of a woman, which Colin immediately recognized as Alexstraza, "Honestly…"

The man chuckled, "Do not worry; our Queen is simply upset at having lost an argument."

Colin could feel Alexstraza's frown from his blinded state, all the way across the room, "You still say that so unconvincingly."

"My father could have easily been our leader, had he the patience to avoid your claws ripping him limb from limb for the entirety of his existence," spoke the man, amusedly.

Again, Alexstraza's expression could be felt by Colin, her rolling eyes coming across like ripples through the air, "I may not be pleased with you often, boy, but unlike your father, you know your place. For that alone, I am slightly pleased."

"See?" the man chuckled, turning down to Colin, "Do not fear; her bark is truly worse than her bite."

An unamused sigh came from the Queen as she shook her head, turning away to survey the Blight beneath them. The man slowly lifted his hand, allowing Colin to continue adjusting to the shimmering light, eventually standing up over Colin as his narrow eyes stared up at the blue-haired man, his chiseled face smiling softly down toward him.

"Your reputation precedes you, human," he grinned, "I, too, am acquainted with that love which, normally, is not meant to be."

Colin's eyes twisted curiously up toward him, unsure of what exactly he was getting at, when Alexstraza let out an impatient snort, her voice rising like a furnace, "Human who lays with elves! Arise! Are you unaware you're standing at the feet of gods?!"

His train of thought had been lost after her first set of words, Colin's brow narrowing unsurely as he obeyed, rising to his feet, nearly recoiling, fearfully, beneath Alexstraza's fierce stare. She was no longer a dragon, but an elf, her orange eyes peering into his own like embers sitting within a stony face.

"Human who layeth with elves; if your eyes so much as absently wander beneath my gaze, I will be sure to strip you of something far more prized than respect for a god."

Colin ran a hand over his face, "I don't-"

The blue-haired man immediately threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a sidelong embrace while speaking to the pale red-skinned Lady, "Alexstraza, surely you don't mean to intend-"

"Kalecgos, were you a larger thorn in my side…" she complained heatedly, shaking her head.

Kalecgos grinned, shrugging, "Well, had you been more of help in our time of need, succession might have been more to your liking. As it stands, by your own accord, you must stand alongside men of younger, more noble, character; isn't that right, human?"

He gently shook Colin's body, though Colin's eyes only grew wide at the man's insinuation that he was against the mighty dragon. Alexstraza, for her part, seemed to only be annoyed by the man's candor, and simply turned around, shaking her head as if to take a time out and cool off. Colin silently took a breath of relief, his eyes wandering to the side, finding yet another figure, a bronze-skinned male elf who appeared so very distant, hanging out well away from the others.

"That's Nozdormu," Kalecgos explained, "The one who binds time itself."

He leaned closer toward Colin's ear, whispering, "If you watch him long enough, you'll be able to see his body evaporating into itself like sand in an hour glass. You could even run through him; he'd just collapse into a sandy heap."

As if hearing his quiet words, Nozdormu's head leisurely turned to the two of them, his face in solemn anger as he spoke, critically, "A swift demise. Indeed."

Kalecgos grinned, shaking his head, "Don't listen to him. They all have been doing this for millennia; they've forgotten what it's like to _live_. They simply exist, it seems; I'm fortunate to have been made familiar with the lives of mortals. I know what it means to be drunk, to be weak, to be in love."

He chuckled, amused by his own assessment, "I've only had the job for some time; I'm trying my best to assimilate, though, given their obstinacy…"

Alexstraza growled under her breath as she listened to the young Aspect, a very noticeable heat radiating from her. Colin's eyes suddenly caught another figure, standing at the opposite end of the circular platform where they all stood, his eyes opening wide as they caught the unmistakable body of Ysera, her arms crossed as her eyes remained shut, a tell-tale stream of technicolor showing, just barely, beneath her closed lids.

Colin's eyes couldn't help but trace down her emerald skin; it was far more ethereal than the last, and only, time he'd ever seen her, all those months ago- her emerald body now clung to a ghostly haze of blue, as if she had stepped out from a dream.

"Human!" Alexstraza shouted, immediately catching Colin's attention as she eyed him critically, "The same goes for my sister."

"I wasn't-" Colin stammered, nervously scratching his head, "She just doesn't look-"

Ysera didn't seem to notice his words, though Alexstraza merely shrugged, "It takes a lot to kill a god, mortal. Now, we did our best to fix your leg, but that's not the only reason why I brought you here."

Colin threw his head down, shocked, as he kicked his formerly-broken leg out, just not realizing its repair as the Queen continued, "I'm curious. I'll ignore the druidic magic that has made its way into you, if only because, without it, we would both be dead; but know this- should it become an issue to the natural order, I'll be quite prepared to snuff it out. Clear?"

Colin nodded, quickly.

Alexstraza paused for a moment before continuing, "Down on the Blight. You had a chance to incinerate that human and cleanse yourself of the threat posed by that demonic satyr. Why did you not do so?"

Colin's eyes fell in thought, though not for long, as he was quick to reply alongside a shrug, "Ulric has just as much reason to exist as I do. As long as he was in there, somewhere, I owe it to him, as I do any living thing, to make sure he retains that reason."

He chuckled, "I mean, I know it's deadly, particularly because few people would view me in the same light, but… I don't know; I've been acquainted enough with death to see it doled out to meagerly."

"Interesting," Alexstraza muttered, simply, "Thank you for your insight."

She turned away once again, flipping a finger out toward Kalecgos, "Make sure he's escorted back to the earth safely. I doubt he'd disagree that having his leg mended is thanks enough for assisting me."

Kalecgos shrugged neutrally as he grasped Colin's shoulder to lead him out, but as he gently pushed Colin around, he quickly reached up and pushed the Aspect's hand away, stepping toward Alexstraza, "W-Wait!"

Time seemed to stand still for him as he stood there. A raucous shaking appeared beneath his feet as Alexstraza turned back around toward him, her brow furrowed disdainfully as if tremendously offended by his sudden insistence, "…yes?"

Even Nozdormu's eyes had turned curiously toward the human. Even though Colin knew he was being wildly insistent, he knew that this was the moment he'd been fighting for. His mind immediately conjured up a vision of Kyra, though not only of her, but of their children, growing into strong warriors or quick-witted thinkers. of their home, so sturdy and resilient, still standing even as Azeroth rise and fall around them. of their bodies, growing old, their fading lights never swaying from the others' flame.

Ysera's arms slowly fell to her side, her head just barely turning to eye Colin behind her eyelids, his mind bridging the gap between himself and the Dreamweaver even as she stood outside the Dream. Colin couldn't reply, his throat suddenly constricting, almost as if a gentle grip had taken ahold of his neck, preventing him from doing so. His eyes watered, tearfully, as his chance to fight for immortality was stripped from him, Alexstraza impatiently waving him off due to his silence.

"Kalecgos, just take him," she ordered, grumbly, as if disappointed that he'd bothered refusing her first sending.

"Of course," the blue-haired man nodded, forcefully pulling Colin along this time, yanking him close as he scolded him, quietly, "Are you absolutely insane, human?!"

Colin couldn't reply, his eyes welling up further with tears as he tried to shout out in protest, yet the constriction in his neck persisted, preventing him from even attempting to resist. Kalecgos merely shook his head in disbelief as he led Colin to the edge of the spire, not bothering to continue speaking to a silent man.

"Now, with that out of the way," came Alexstraza's voice from behind the two of them, "Nozdormu. Why did you bring this thing?"

A deep voice that seemed to flow in and out of existence slowly answered, "I was compelled- to do so-"

"One of those anomalies," Alexstraza sighed, "Well, if the gods will it, I'm sure there's some reason for this to be here. I had no idea you could condense such a thing into a glass thing such as this."

Nozdormu nodded, "Elune- I'm sure this- is not simply glass- holding imortality-"

Colin's ears perked, his feet suddenly jumping ahead to stop his progress, earning a suddenly shocked stare from Kalecgos, "Wha- Human, what are y-?"

He spun back around, freezing himself from the man's grasp as he slid on the marble floor beneath him, falling to the ground with a loud *THUD* that stole everyone's attention. Colin quickly worked his way back up, tears pouring down his face as he saw the small, pristine vessel floating beside Alexstraza and Ysera, its translucent orb-like coating revealing a sort of ethereal sparkle within.

"I-I need that!" Colin shouted, suddenly, the grip breaking from his throat as he continued walking toward the two Aspects, "That's why it's here!"

Alexstraza scoffed, "Human, were I so stupid to as to actually offer-"

"Break my leg," Colin pleaded, still tearfully crying out, so close to his goal, "Break them both! Break everything inside me; just please!"

As he closed the distance, Alexstraza angrily levitated at him, immediately, throwing a hand up to grasp the side of Colin's head, a sudden, searing pain working through his body as the Dragon Queen worked him down to his knees, her ember eyes flaming wildly with anger.

 _"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT, HUMAN?!"_

Colin stared back into her eyes without blinking, "I wasn't aware an Aspect could break their promises."

Alexstraza suddenly let go of him, stepping back a few paces without breaking eye contact with Colin.

 _"WHO DARED TO MAKE SUCH A PROMISE IN MY STEAD?!"_

Colin's lips tightened as he concentrated on her ember eyes, knowing full-well that any movement by his eyes would be implication. Kalecgos stood, rather horrified, never having seen his Queen in such an enraged state, while Nozdormu only watched curiously, almost unsure as to what was occurring. Colin's boxy shook fearfully, Alexstraza's fury rippling through the air toward him, shaking his very bones as he remained on his knees there.

 _"WHO?!"_

She snarled, almost as if also attempting to frighten her cohorts with confessing, themselves.

Colin's eyes slowly burned, his mind trying desperately resisting the urge to look toward Ysera for guidance, knowing that it would send the Queen's wrath directly to his only ally here. He had no idea what to do, when a sudden droplet of a memory fell threw his mind, the sudden visage of Ascal, of all people, appearing within his mind, with Kyra standing by his side, clutching desperately to his arm as the druid spoke to him, telepathically.

 _"You've just outsmarted a god, my friend," Ascal smirked, mischievously, "Kyra says to take what's yours. Cenarius' orders. I suggest you do as she says."_

A wave of clarity came across Colin as he remained kneeling there, no longer peering into the eyes of a god, but simply into two lights that just happened to be aimed toward him. He took a quick sigh of relief, knowing what he was about to do, before his eyes suddenly bolted to the edge of his face, for but a brief second, sending Alexstraza into a mad frenzy as her body shot to the side, her eyes flaming as she snarled furiously.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Nozdormu, whom Colin had quickly peered toward, eyed her critiquingly, shrugging, "I know not- what you accuse me of-"

Alexstraza raised her voice into a vicious roar, stomping toward the sand-like man with searing footsteps, leaving only Ysera standing beside the glass ball of sparkling air. Colin eyed it seriously. Immortality was _right_ there, he knew. Alexstraza's cursing fell into the background as Colin only heard his heartbeat ringing in his ears. Though, he noted, as Ysera's ears slowly perked up, his heartbeat was not his own. He shared it with one other.

In a split second, Colin threw his body up to his feet, making a mad dash toward the glistening object, not dating to bother worrying about Alexstraza, or even Kalecgos, stopping him. He simply ran like a man out of his mind, feeling his cheek suddenly burst into a scorching sensation, noticing the pale, blue light from the corner of his eye as he reached out, desperately, taking the glass ball and dashing beyond Ysera, who remained unmoved, leaving Colin to clutch the ball to his chest as he suddenly jumped from the porch of the tower, finding his only escape there, Conte t that he had immortality within his grasp.

A wave of relief coursed through him as he fell from the tower, knowing that he'd make a safe enough crash to the ground, now, having immortality in his- His eyes turned up, worriedly, as he pulled the crystal ball up to his eyes, finding the ethereal sparkle still within the object. Suddenly, as the world swirled around him, his stomach turning every which way, he panicked. As long as that sparkle remained there, he wasn't…

The ground grew closer and closer, Colin's eyes widening in horror at how stupid he'd been. All he could do was close his eyes, sending his tears into the sky above him as he repeatedly apologized in his mind, praying one of them would somehow reach his love.

She wouldn't hear him any more once he hit the ground.

* * *

The peak of Wyrmrest Temple grew silent as Alexstraza's sidelong body stared at where that human had leapt from her perch, an inquisitive stare crossing her face as she strode toward the edge, curiously eyeing the droplets of moonlight that floated upward into the sky, a lengthy trail of them dispersing from the human had fallen. She reached out, managing to run an outstretched finger through one of the droplets, the moonlight gently diffusing along her skin.

Her eyes narrowed, turning from her finger back toward the floating collection of moonlit drops that fluttered along, Ysera's voice breaking the silence as she bowed her head, respectfully.

"Mother's tears."

Alexstraza's lips curled slightly inward at her sister's words, leaning forward to peer down toward the ground, unable to see far enough in her humanoid state, though she knew, very well, what she would have seen were she to invoke her leviathan form. A human, whose foolishness had led to him attempting to steal immortality from the Dragon Aspects themselves, sprawled lifelessly atop the very ashes his blood had caused to rise up once again in righteous fire.


	41. Never Again

Kyra's breaths broke through the air, disjointedly, as she rushed toward the magnificent golden sheen of Wyrmrest Temple's walls, the building only a handful more strides away when her ears perked up to like, sensing something tearing furiously through the air. Her head immediately looked up to investigate when her eyes flew open wide, a gasp leaving her as Colin's body careened toward the ashen soil, crashing into the ground with so much force that the ash around his impact flew up into the air in a plume of matter.

Kyra slid to a stop, losing her balance and falling to her knees as she came to a stop, her face growing long as her jaw dropped, staring into the crater where Colin's body had landed, most assured that this was some cruel joke or a dream. Her breaths wavered, shaking weakly as she reached up to clutch her chest, a sharp pain suddenly crushing her heart as she slowly came to realize what had happened, her mind finally tearing free as she hurried over toward him, reaching out to grab his shoulders.

He'd fallen face-first, his arms tucked underneath him as if to break his fall, and as Kyra turned him over, starlight began dripping profusely from her eyes, a soft whimper escaping her as she saw his lifeless face. His hands fell away, from his chest, glass shards rolling off from his clothes as Kyra quickly reached down, holding two fingers to his neck, finding no pulse.

She began to panic, though she quickly pulled away, laying the side of her head against his chest, her ear straining as she tried desperately to hear the beating sound that had become her lullaby, her face weakening as she only heard silence. Her cries began, shakily, as she reached around his torso, holding him tightly as she turned her head, burying her face into his chest, her heart no longer beating in time with another.

She suddenly felt so lost as she quietly wept, her shoulders shaking weakly, even as Ascal's hooves approached from behind. He slowly stood up as his elven form returned to him, his own face turning sour as he watched the sight before him.

"By the goddess…" he muttered, just barely breaking through Kyra's nearly silent tears.

Kyra's fingers curled around Colin's clothing, pulling them against her face as her starlight tears stained them, when she felt Ascal's manly hand against her shoulder, attempting to comfort her as she wept, her voice weakly pleading, "Please… Please…"

The hand upon her remained still, save for its thumb, which gently ran back and forth along her shoulder, a weak, nearly deathly, voice slowly breaking through her crying, "S-Sorry."

Her head bolted up, turning toward Colin's face with all the shock in the world in her face, just noticing that it had been Colin's at her shoulder. She quickly reached her own hand up to grasp his, pulling it to her cheek as she smiled, unsurely, watching his eyes open, as if they'd been made of stone. As soon as they did, streams of tears ran down the sides of his face as he looked up toward his love, the warmth at her cheek sending away the chill of death from within himself.

"I-Is this…a dream?" he muttered, almost silently, staring up curiously at Kyra as the single gasp of a laugh broke her tears through the air.

"No…" she answered, smiling brightly, "And you're a horrible person to make worry like that."

Colin shook his head, achingly, "I wasn't trying to."

"I know," Kyra smiled, returning her head to his chest, "I know."

His heart began to churn once again, bringing a soft glow to Kyra's eyes before she shut them, simply becoming in tune with his beating chest, enjoying his arms achingly wrapping around her as he spoke up, weakly, "I died for a moment there. I know that much; I understood, for the briefest of moments, that I would no longer have you."

Kyra shivered at his words, though Ascal's voice emerged, bringing an air of comfort from his deep tone, "You must have needed to have done so in order to attain immortality."

"After all that, I hope that's the case," Colin grinned, his jaw creaking back to life, "And hey, Ascal."

The druid grinned, bowing his head in reply, "I surmise my relaying of Cenarius' advice was well-timed?"

"You couldn't have done better, my friend," Colin happily retorted, peering up toward him, "Good to see you've lost some weight, too."

Ascal happily chuckled, crossing his arms, "Ready for another journey up a mountain?"

"Not at all," Colin muttered, quietly, stretching his face up to bury within Kyra's hair, "Now, my journey with my beloved may truly begin."

He could feel Kyra's smile against his chest as Ascal nodding approvingly, "My Lady will be sure to keep an eye on you two. No doubt all the Aspects will; for one who stole immortality from them, surely you'll remain on their radar for quite some time."

He looked up into the sky, his eyes tightening as he stared at the stream of tears levitating further into the heavens, "Not to mention you still have Elune's eyes on you two as well."

"Just so long as you stay in touch," Colin motioned toward the druid.

Ascal shrugged, " _My_ work is far from over. But yes, if the opportunity arises, I will certainly stop by. The smell of earthroot and the scenery of Stonetalon is quite pleasing, I've come to realize."

The druid began stepping away, bowing graciously low, "As it stands, _I'm_ quite too close to the eyes of a god, myself, though this god would be content with seeing me severely punished for my misdeeds. I'm sure the eldest of Shadowmoon children among you will keep you two safe."

As he turned, his face lingered, his cheeks pulling upward humorously as he eyed the sleeping Vylira, his body suddenly vanishing in a plume of smoke as he took on the form of a crow, his wings making blistering haste as he zoomed off into the distance, leaving Kyra and Colin alone atop the ashen dunes.

Colin reached a hand up, softly tucking her lavender hair behind her long, meandering ear, Kyra's eyes simply closing gently to enjoy his touch as he spoke, "For a moment there, I knew I had lost you forever. I never want to feel something so gut-wrenching again in my life."

Kyra smiled, turning her head up to meet his eyes with her own, "I felt the same thing for a brief moment. At least, now, we won't ever have to worry about such a thing."

"Never again," Colin emphasized, tenderly, "Never."

* * *

High atop the tallest recess of Wyrmrest Temple, Alexstraza bent back away from the edge of the spire, content to turn away from where that human had fallen, crossing her arms with a frown, her eyes dimming unenthusiastically as she noticed the stares from her other cohorts. In particular, Ysera's eyes had fluttered open, just barely, as she peered toward her sister, earning a particularly woeful stare from her sister, as if knowing, already, that her ideals were about to be questioned.

"Why did you allow such a thing?" Ysera wondered, more curious than accusingly.

Alexstraza rolled her eyes before shutting them, studiously, "Who am I to question who Elune chooses, or doesn't choose, as her recipients of such things. If you're asking why I rejected all I hold sacred, in this single instance, I have done no such thing. As far as I'm concerned, I did what Mother was wanting."

She shrugged, her eyes opening viciously as she eyed Kalecgos, "And I don't need any smartass remarks about it either."

Kalecgos grinned, shaking his head, "Hey, I completely understand. Just make sure word of this doesn't get out; the last thing we need are pilgrimages made specifically for immortality."

Alexstraza turned to her sister, who stepped forward, "Do not worry. I will make sure such things will not occur. Except to those who understand, themselves."

Annoyed, Alexstraza buried her face into her hand, shaking her head, "Why do I take your certainly as a sign that you've had your hand in more than you've let on, Sister?"

Ysera eyed her critically, "So long as the pathways of time are not affected, what are you worrying your mind over?"

"Such irony," Kalecgos mused, "Is not a human living a thousand lifetimes the very definition of a perversion of time itself?"

Ysera's head spun slowly toward Nozdormu, the bronze-skinned man nodding to her before answering to her knowing glance, "That human- will not- live out- his days-"

Kalecgos quickly scrutinized the timeless lines across Nozdormu's face, trying to understand what he was getting at, but Ysera answered, sensing his confusion, "Where one of them goes, the other is sure to follow. Even to the death of his dearly beloved, Colin will follow her as she did for him."

Sighing, Alexstraza shook her head, "Such a cheap use of my abilities as Lifebinder."

"Are you sure?" Ysera questioned, "The lives those two have touched in their quest may yet ripple through the same eternity you aim to withhold from mortal men."

"I've seen where this leads, far too well, Sister," Alexstraza reputed, shaking her head, "All the goodness you propose will result from this, just as much evil and malice could just as well stem from this. I'm not going fault you for your misguided views, nor will I stand back when this all blows up in your face. Whatever the result, I shall remain at your side, dear Sister."

Ysera nodded in understand, leaving Kale his to snicker childishly, smirking as he pointed out, "She'll simply roll her eyes the entire time."

Alexstraza groaned, eyeing the young Aspect, "Once again, you seek to-"

"To be sure," he interrupted, "I shall remain at your side as well."

The Dragon Queen smirked, regally, before snorting a breath of hot air in relief as she finished, "See that that remains the case."


	42. Recovery & Revelation

Kyra sat across from Vylira's bed, gingerly holding onto her eldest sister's hand as she continued sleeping, her breaths remaining as chillingly steady as many druids' were. They had made their way to Wintergarde before night had fallen, with Ulric and his crew having to sneak into the city, which turned into a particularly devilish task for Tandkota, who, more or less, had to carry his leader most of the way. Now holed up in the smallest inn of the city, Kyra began her vigil beside her sister, her continued sleep growing concern from within her.

"I'm afraid," she whispered, running her hand along the lengths of Vylira's fingers, "Ascal didn't much say anything about her being out for this length of time."

Colin, who'd been leaned against the wall, watching the two of them, dove his hands into his pocket, woefully, lowering his gaze as his lips pulled to the side, questioningly, "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's moved, even in this state, albeit only slightly- she's definitely home."

He grinned, "She'll wake up and scold you for worrying about a measly nap."

"Hopefully," Kyra smiled weakly, as a quiet knock echoed from the door.

Colin dutifully strode to the door, opening it just slightly enough to see through its crack, only finding Syheath there, her arms crossed worriedly as she peered up to the single human eye that cast down on her. He slowly widened her entry, stepping to the side as she took a step in, growing annoyed as Colin wore a smirk.

"So you _are_ worried about your family," he teased.

Syheath only grumbled in reply, throwing a swift punch toward Colin that was quickly avoided, leaving him laughing quietly as Syheath approached the foot of the bed, crossing her arms once again. Kyra didn't turn toward her, nor did she speak, since Syheath didn't ask anything, though the older of the two gave a scolding glance toward Kyra without her noticing.

"Nothing's changed, really," Colin explained, "She's tugged on Kyra's hand a few times; I'm sure she'll be fine."

Syheath frowned, passive aggressively, as she muttered aloud, "At least she's willing to let _you_ know she's okay."

While she heard her snide remark, Kyra didn't bother acknowledging it, simply continuing her quiet vigil, much to Syheath's chagrin. She slowly reached into a small satchel that she had strapped over her shoulder, pulling out a few pressed leaves from within a tiny notebook, dropping them atop Vylira's blanketed body.

"Those are from Teldrassil; maybe their scent will help her out, I don't know," she shrugged, distantly, "I thought about it and figured I'd give it a shot."

Kyra didn't seem to hear her, simply remaining still as Syheath sighed aggressively, turning away as she shrugged, "That's what I get for trying to help."

Her eyes met Colin's as she finished turning to the door, pausing as he nodded toward her, "Thanks."

"Good to see _someone_ being appreciative," Syheath muttered, rolling her eyes.

Colin replied, "She's just got a lot going on."

"Uh huh," Syheath retorted, sarcastically, "She's had a lot going on ever since she was born. The rest of the world just stops for poor little Kyra; story of my fuckin' life."

"Look," Colin sighed, his lips pulling inward worriedly, "Can we just-"

Syheath sneered, starting back toward the door, "Oh, I'm not about to be the one who's reprimanded. I'm actually trying to fucking help; not just sit and stare all night. Sorry for trying."

She shook her head, nearly stomping out from the room, although, to her credit, she did take care to close the door carefully. Colin was left sighing, leaning his head back in exasperation as he approached Kyra, gently rubbing her shoulder as he sat beside her.

"Well, I can't say I've come to expect much el-"

He paused as he noticed Kyra's face. While it remained stoned in worry, a trickle of tears had stared down her cheek, eventually dripping off into a sparkle of starlight that evaporated into the wooden planks beneath them. He gently reached an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close into him to comfort her.

"That hurts you."

Kyra grumbled, upsettingly, "Of course it does. She may hate my guts, but she's still my older sister. You don't know what it's like starting life late, entering into a family who all mostly resent you from the start."

She frowned, shaking her head, "Sorry…"

Only able to grin, Colin answered, "Hey, don't be. You've given me as much of a family as I'll ever need. Though, with just my interactions with Syheath herself, I can sort of see what you mean. But look, despite everything she finds bad about your family, she's made quite a life for herself out here."

He lowered his tone, gently running his hand down the loose fabric that bundled and wanted as he did so, "Are you wanting to even bother making amends?"

Kyra sighed, resting her face in the palm of her hand, "Of course I do. She's my sister; regardless of everything else, we're bound by more than circumstance. I remember growing up, after she'd already decided to distance herself somewhat, desperately wanting her to take me on whatever adventures she would take. I snuck out of bed one time when I heard her come home, telling Y'eanel about sleeping with the nightsabers and exploring the caves on the edge of the tree. I so wished for her to invite me along, but before she left our home, entirely, for the first time, she'd barely even spoken a few words to me."

She sighed, helplessly, shaking her head, "I still love her. Deeply. All I ever wanted from any if my siblings was to be accepted. I didn't need their love, or help, or anything; I just wanted their respect; their acceptance that I wasn't simply a hindrance to the family. Vylira, and somewhat Nyfallas, she was the only one who saw me as somebody with potential, and not just what Syheath still sees me as- a nothing. A blight on the family name."

Colin's eyes dropped, sadly, though his lips twisted in thought, keeping a slight tug around Kyra's shoulders as he spoke up, "Look, I know that whole thing with these leaves was bullshit. Judging from her uncertainty, she probably knows it too; maybe she sincerely wanted to test the waters- I mean, you seem to say that she cares little about even Vylira, too."

"Regardless," he shrugged, "I think you'll have to be the bigger person here, and I'm not just saying that because, out of both of you, you're the only one who'd listen to me. I think, after these last few days, she's seen things that have impacted her, not least of which seeing her little sister take charge of her own destiny in a way you couldn't have done as a child."

He reached his face over to give her a gently tender kiss at her cheek, pulling away only slightly, remaining close enough to catch the sweet scent of her hair as he slowly reached up a knuckle to pull her hair back over her ear, "I know its no difficult task for a Silverwing."

Kyra rolled her eyes, grinning slightly, "They never taught us how to mend relationships when we became Sentinels."

"No, but I figure if you can stand up to a Wild God, you can stand up for her sister," Colin teased.

Kyra shook her head, her grin growing wider in humored disbelief, "I can't exactly argue with that sort of logic, I suppose."

Colin nodded before making the slight distance to kiss her cheek once again, reaching his other hand over to grasp ahold if her own hand, clenching it tightly as his arm pulled her shoulders even tighter. Kyra allowed her head to fall gracefully onto his shoulder, shutting her eyes comfortingly, just making out his heartbeat from that sturdy perch of hers.

"Remember during Winter's Veil," Colin spoke up, wistfully, "We pulled the furniture away and danced so slowly, so close, and our eyes met, mid-stride; I said I had never seen anything so beautiful."

Kyra's grin slowly fell to a comforting smile as her hand gently rolled a thumb along Colin's matching fingers, "What's your point, exactly?"

He only smirked, mischievously, "I needed a point?"

"I guess not," Kyra replied, her shoulders lightly jumping up in amusement as she gave a silent, weak laugh, "You're just taking advantage of me allowing you to say such things."

"Oh, of course," Colin easily noted, "Not many women would give me the time of day."

He turned his head down, gingerly playing with her fingers, "You know, when I first fell in love with you…I was so frightened. Not of whether or not you'd be loyal, or whether or not you'd leave…but I've always been scared of giving somebody so much love, and so much trust, and not having it equaled in return."

Kyra lifted her head, feigning inquiry, "You just stole immortality from the hands of the Dragon Aspects for me. Are you seriously asking me to top that?"

Colin chuckled, shaking his head, "No, no. But you've been so much to me since we've known one another. You're my best friend, you were my mentor, you're my protector, and in many ways, you were my savior at one time, after I returned home from seeing your home."

His lips pulled to either side of his jaw, neutrally, as if stuck on one final thought, "You're my lover, my companion, my mate. You're the single person on this world I know to turn to, no matter what. You don't have to do anything; not when you've done so, so much for me."

Kyra smiled, still eyeing him from down low, reaching her free hand up and around the side of Colin's head, pulling him down so that she could return his kisses from earlier. Her head pulled back, ever so slightly, as the lights of her eyes, dim as they were, flickered beautifully as she blinked, intently staring into Colin's eyes as his mate met her own pair. Her brow lifted up in subtle happiness, his eyes staring as far into the future as shed ever seen them, even if they were locked onto her own pair.

"I've never seen anything so handsome," Kyra teased, earning a quick, sarcastic raising of Colin's brow.

"Now you're just trying to get me to blush," he replied, knowingly, "I'll have you know, Shadowmoon, that I'm not going to fall into your little game, there."

Kyra stuck out her tongue, "You don't need to be blushing for me to think you're cute."

Sighing defeatedly, Colin hung his head, lowly raising Kyra's hand up to his face for a kiss as an abrupt knock came at the door, jarring the two of them from this moment. Colin sighed as he stood to answer the gentle call, his hand running along Kyra's back as he walked off, as if not wanting to leave her touch. Still, he made his way to the door, slowly opening it to reveal the whole of Ulric's team, even Syheath, standing there with the smallest of them, Parvaen, struggling to lift a large pot of steaming soup, quickly grabbing Colin's attention.

"H-How's she…doing..?" Parvaen struggled to ask, quickly readjusting his arm to better hang onto his culinary luggage.

Colin smiled, "About the same. I'm sure she'll recover, though."

Remnaar cleared his throat, pushing Parvaen to the side, the blood elf's eyes bulging in horror as he desperately tried keeping his pot level, "My friend, we were discussing dinner, and figured it would be a terrible injustice for you two to go without. So, we got everything together that we had, Tandkota took a trip to the market real quick, and we figured we should invite ourselves over for a meal."

Surprised, Colin leaned over to examine Tandkota, who humbly scratched at his head from the praise, leaving Remnaar to explain, "He might be our quietest one, but he can haggle to bones off of a hozen. Are you in, my friend?"

"I see no reason why we'd refuse," Colin smiled graciously, "Thank you so very much."

Now taking his turn to squeeze forward, Ulric burst through Parvaen and Remnaar, his face contorted in uncomfort from the vice between the two bodies, "Thank you for allowing our thanks to you three. Were it not for you all, I'd, uh…"

Colin only reached out, patting his shoulder, "Look, don't even mention it, alright?"

Ulric grinned in reply, nodding graciously as the group filed into the small room, leaving Colin at the door to allow them in, though his eyes met Syheath's as she remained outside, leaning against the far wall with crossed arms. She turned her head away, making it clear that she was going to remain outside, though Colin warmly shrugged, pointing back into the room.

"Smelled good. Sure you're not going to get in on this?"

Syheath's eyes turned to him, emotionlessly, as she replied, "Why are you trying so hard?"

"To get you two to make up?" Colin confirmed, tilting his head in confusion, "As far as I'm concerned, Kyra's family is _my_ family. As that goes, it's the only one I got. Leave it to a man with only a hundred or so years to understand how fleeting family is, even if your lives are stretched out for centuries."

He shrugged, smiling confidently at his point as he backed into the room, "The door's unlocked. I'll try and sit everybody facing away, just in case you want to sneak on in."

Syheath scoffed, "Whatever, man."

Colin chuckled, quietly muttering the ingredients he smelled, enticingly, as he slowly closed the door, "Tiger lily, some goldclover… Maybe a little frost lotus for aroma…"

The door shut soundly, leaving Syheath alone in the dark, her lips turned into a frown as her mouth helplessly began to water, having unintentionally skipped a few meals already. She knew the her boys were capable of some serious culinary skill as well, leaving her even more enticed, her stomach gentle gurgling hungrily as she shut her eyes. As long as she just pretended Lyra wasn't there, they could all avoid a scene…

She quickly stomped toward the door, quietly making her way inside the already-bustling room, silently working toward her own helping of soup, careful to keep her back turned to Kyra. Despite that, Kyra couldn't help but steal the occasional, sad glance toward her older sister, running through dialogue in her head, quietly predicting how the two of them could be friends.

They were the same words and sentences she'd silently conjured up since she was a child.

* * *

Having finished dinner, two groups had formed within the quaint little room of the inn. Parvaen and Tandkota entertained themselves with tales of Colin's adventures, the three of them sitting on the floor with Kyra up on the bed, watching them from above, enjoying her mate's stories all the same, each bullet point being yet another adventure that Colin could never truly complete unless it had been done at Kyra's side.

He'd taught Parvaen a few Zandali words, and Tandkota was nearly brought to homesick tears as Colin went through his few days in Mulgore, having gained entry only by a shaman of sorts, his visit cut short by a child who couldn't help but tell everybody about the funny-looking, flat-faced monster who'd stumbled upon the Earthmother's lands. Tandkota only nodded as Colin spoke, suspiciously managing to wipe his mouth, for lengthy periods of time, by nearly turning his entire body around.

Aside from these four, Ulric had called Syheath and Remnaar out to the balcony for a talk, ostensibly regarding the future of Ulric's pack, given the events that had passed just the last week or so. Their leader had leaned over the railing, peering out toward the lower, poverty-stricken wards of Wintergarde, eyeing the barely showing flames at each door, the oil used having been lessened to lengthen its use.

Shadowmoon, who stood beside him, leaned back against the same railing, crossing her arms as she narrowly peered down at the wooden planks beneath them, turning up toward Remnaar, "Those two would follow you as well, no question."

Remnaar nodded in agreement, slamming a vicious open hand into Ulric's back, his body flinching painfully as he coughed, "Of course they would! I'm rather surprised you didn't include them into this circle of discussion."

Catching his breath once more, Ulric pushed himself up, "I knew that, I just… You've been here the longest, Rem; I trust you with my very life. And Shadowmoon, I mean, she's-"

"Your favorite," Remnaar laughed, waving him off, "We all know it. She can hunt circles around us. I mean, it's true! We all know it!"

Ulric groaned, hating to have it known, even to himself, that he had, apparently, had a favorite, "Okay, shut up with that stuff, okay? Look, this is serious- Remnaar, I trust you and your judgement a great deal. Can I trust you with this?"

Syheath's eyes narrowed curiously, unsure if what Ulric was going on about, but Remnaar quickly turned serious, nodding swiftly, "Of course, my friend. T'was I who secretly skittered off from the group to rescue you from that den of wolvar."

Grinning nostalgically was Ulric, though he took care to avoid Syheath's inquisitive stare as she turned to him, quickly, "Just how often do your exploits end with you trapped or imprisoned?"

He lowered his head, chuckling, "Were I to go further along this most recent exploit, one might say I'd be equally as trapped."

Syheath eyed him curiously before suddenly jumping in shock, turning away to hide her blush from Remnaar, who had quickly noted something strange as he crossed his arms, "You'd better explain yourself sooner, rather than later, Ulric. I'd hate to jump to conclusions that are incorrect; like assuming something about you _two_ …"

Ulric grinning, looking up toward his friend with a mischievously side-long stare, "It's not as serious as you might be thinking."

Sighing, Syheath managed to turn just enough to watch Remnaar from the corner of her eyes, his blue arms tensing as he took a deep breath, almost seriously so, before staring at Ulric, critically, "How long has this been a thing?"

"Not long," he muttered, apologetically, "I mean, it wasn't anything we-"

"Within the last five weeks?" Remnaar questioned, seriously.

Both Ulric and Syheath turned toward him, curiously, as he shrugged, "What? We had bets on this; I'm just trying to win the purse."

Syheath immediately groaned, covering her face as her body slid down the railing until she was sitting down, pulling her knees up to her face to further obscure her face while Ulric only chuckled nervously, shaking his head. Growing more confused, Remnaar turned from one to the other, almost in disbelief.

"What, it wasn't obvious to you two?" he wondered aloud, "Ever since Syheath showed up, she's been your favorite. I mean, you give her a harder time; we just figured you just saw that much more potential within her. But we knew you two were, more or less, interested in one another- we were shocked those 'meetings' you two had weren't, already, involving one, or both of you, on your knees!"

Syheath groaned louder, trying to further voice her displeasure at hearing this, while Ulric's face crumpled upward, uncomfortably, looking toward Remnaar with narrowed eyes, "It was nothing like that. We just had a moment back before we returned from the Blight, and- you know."

He shrugged, "I just wanted you to know, if weird stuff started to- Look, we've already discussed this. We don't want anything to change; we both love the three of you, and we don't want anything- Just in case you guys started to notice something weird, it's not our intention."

Remnaar held up his hands, unassertively, "Hey, I get it! It's not like we want to spend out nights in the same sleeping bag as you."

Syheath released another, painful groan, causing Remnaar to smirk amusedly, shaking his head, "Seriously. We were making bets, we were so sure of such a thing occurring. I doubt either of those two would object in any way."

The draenei turned to lean against the railing, crossing his arms again as a chilly breeze rolled through, "You know, you mentioned earlier about this group taking a break while your hand healed and everything. I think that'd be good for everyone; you know, Kota has been wanting to return home for a good year or so, and I think Parv has been needing some time for himself. As for me…"

He grinned sneakily, "I think every relationship needs a honeymoon phase."

"Oh, by the light of the moon!" Syheath grumbled, angrily, shooting a stare up toward him, "Would you cut that shit out, please?!"

Remnaar only laughed, bending over as his chest reverberated happily, "S-Sorry; you two must have known we'd all give you a hard time about-"

He quickly turned toward Syheath with a childish grin, noticing her intense blush before immediately returning to a burst of massive laughter, nearly keeling over from lack of breath. Ulric couldn't fight back a grin himself, though he turned to check on Syheath, who was less than enthused.

"You know he means well," he spoke, trying to make her feel better."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but I'm more upset by the fact that I can't dish it right back at him…"

Having predicted her reply, Ulric chuckled to himself as Remnaar neared the end of his spell, his deep voice gushing as he wiped the tears from his face, "Okay, okay; I need to go take a seat."

He started toward the door to reenter the room, leaving sputtering fits of laughter as he did so, managing to turn over his shoulder, "You two lovebirds can-"

Already having readied a stone from her satchel, Syheath threw it into his arm, causing him to stop as his laughter returned, though he continued on into the room, closing the door behind him, silencing his happy bursts from the balcony where Ulric and Syheath were, leaving Syheath with a relieved sighed.

Ulric shrugged, "Well, that went better than I was expecting."

"What _were_ you expecting?" Syheath questioned, critically.

"I don't know," Ulric began, unsurely, "Maybe some jealousy or something like that. I can't be the only warm-blooded male to think you're rather beautiful."

Syheath rested her head on her knee, "So it wasn't any jealousy going the other way?"

Ulric grinned, more from nervousness, "I think it'd be the height of hubris to suggest I'd have people eyeing me like that. That, and I'd be far too plain for anybody who's into trolls."

Syheath tried to hide a laugh, though it only caused Ulric to smirk further, "What? I've had trolls in this troupe before; I know how strange their anatomy is. I'd be a walk in the park compared to all that!"

Eyeing him teasingly, Syheath spoke up, rather demurely, "Then why do I get so excited when I think of you like that?"

Ulric shrugged, tilting his head cockily, "Probably because I was just _that_ good, I don't know. That's a question for you, yourself, to answer."

He stood up to return to the room himself, though he stole a quick moment to turn his head to eye Syheath from over his shoulder, "That, or maybe there are some advantages to that worgen curse after all."

As assured of herself as she was a moment ago, Ulric's words suddenly brought a blush to Syheath's face as she turned away, doing her best to hide her embarrassment as he chuckled, reaching for the doorknob, just about to open it before finishing.

"Syheath…" he muttered to himself, as if rolling the sound around his tongue to examine its effect over his palette, "Darkly beautiful, with a hint of a certain sexy quality. Tastes about as good as you do."

He grinned, having left her with something rather heated to think about as he nonchalantly made his way back into the inn, leaving Syheath alone, not feeling nearly as cold as she had been just a few moments ago.


	43. Youngest Sisters

Syheath remained outside, though she really couldn't understand why. Sure, at first, being out here alone was simply to avoid returning indoors with a blush and the possibility of having a stupid look on her face, but now, faced with the biting cold of the night air, she had no reason to remain out here. She pulled her satchel up onto her lap, rummaging through it quickly enough to find her two daggers, her brand news ones that Ulric had bought her after she'd lost her old pair back in Valiance Keep.

Her lips curled in bemusement, her eyes running slowly along the curving edge of the blade, a characteristic of her previous favorite, and even inscribed with her name down the handle. A plume of white steam escaped her lips as she sighed, dropping her shoulders before carefully laying the dagger back into her satchel, reaching up to grab ahold of the railing to pull herself up when the handle of the door began to spin, catching her attention and causing her to sit back down, expecting Ulric or Remnaar to be returning.

Instead of either of them, Syheath's eyes shrunk critically as she stared at her younger sister, her only one, Kyra not looking in her direction as she turned to close the door, bundled up in Colin's coat, turning toward Syheath with a concerned turn of her brow.

"They said you looked cold out here, so here," Kyra explained, dropping the woolen, patterned blanket by Syheath's side, unsure if she'd even accept it, "Besides, I wanted to talk anyway."

"'bout what?" Syheath replied, almost challengingly.

Kyra shrugged, burying her hands into her pockets, "Anything, really. You know, I don't think we've ever exchanged more than a few sentences to one another."

"Shocker," Syheath frowned, "Look, we've gotten this far without speaking- how's about we just keep on keeping on. Hold the course. Whatever the fuck it is those Sentinels tell you."

She waited until Kyra turned away in exasperation before pulling her crossed arms closer, not wanting to give it away that she might actually be in need of the blanket she'd been offered. The sight of her kid sister, in the throes of aching pain, crossed her mind, still slightly surprised at the woman who stood atop the same balcony. She tried to catch a secretive glance at Kyra, catching whatever of her prominent, strong frame she could grasp that wasn't covered by the bundle of baggy cloth surrounding her torso, just barely returning to normal as Kyra turned her head toward her.

"I don't even think we've ever even spoken one-on-one like this before," Kyra noted, leaning onto the balcony.

Syheath dropped her shoulders, tilting her head sarcastically, "Well, you made it clear from an early enough age what you were all about."

Kyra shot her a glare, "You're seriously going to hold me to a version of me that was a child? A sickly one, at that? who had no idea what was going on within her own body, much less what all was happening with her family? I can understand Kalaeth and everybody seeing me as a liability to the family name- at least I can disprove that. How am I supposed to disprove something you're so bitter about from centuries ago?!"

Shaking her head unknowingly, Syheath barely offered a reply, "How should I know?"

Her sister's obstinacy already driving a crick up her neck, Kyra softly ran her hand across her face, repeating almost as a religious mantra in her head the advice Colin had given her, "Be the bigger person… Be the bigger person…"

She knew, very well, that she could spar and defeat her siblings, should they question her physical worth, but whatever Syheath held over Kyra, she couldn't exactly solve it in the same way, though she seriously wanted to. Her eyes peered, sidelong, toward her sister, her lips spinning unhappily, trying to figure out what it was she wanted from her. An apology? An explanation?

In her thoughts, Kyra just barely caught Syheath's voice on the sudden change of the breeze, nearly in a whisper, "…mush'al."

Kyra's face quickly turned to face her sister, with Syheath's eyes staring up at her knowingly, almost challenging her. Her mantra left someplace else in her mind, Kyra suddenly stomped toward her sister, kicking away the blanket as she wound her arm up, forcing it down toward Syheath's face, though her older sister quickly grabbed her wrist to withhold her slap. In her seated position, however, Syheath was unable to swing her other arm around in time as Kyra shot her free hand around, slapping her sister across the face with a massive *CLAP* echoing through the breeze.

Stepping back, Kyra pointed down at her sister as Syheath eyed her, defiantly, clutching her chin, "I will _not_ let you call me that; I don't care if I unknowingly ruined ten of your lifetimes. Look, I came out here to-"

Syheath leapt to her feet, leaping toward Kyra with a vigorous launch from her seated position, knocking Kyra toward the back of the balcony as the two sparred, unprofessionally, like two children whose emotions were dictating their movements far more than their technique. Their arms flailed around, childishly, though through their grunts, it seemed to be more heated than it truly was.

* * *

Colin's head turned over his shoulder toward the door out toward the balcony, frowning as the fighting rumbled on outside. The others had all gone, leaving him at Vylira's bedside to watch over her as Kyra had left, though the results seemed to have been unfavorable. Still, neither of them had charged back in through the door to leave, which he figured to be a good sign, for what it was worth.

He felt a gently tug at his hand as he quickly turned back toward Vylira's bed, looking down at the hand that he'd been holding, keeping track of its pulse as it clenched once more, just barely, before a two slits of moonlight appeared ever so slightly atop Vylira's face as her eyes managed to open up.

Her head turned toward Colin, her voice as weak as anything, though her face shone with enough to displease to make up for her shallow speech, "What's all the racket?"

Colin grinned, "I think it's Kyra and Syheath bonding."

Vylira shut her eyes, groaning out loud, "Shit. Alright, let me get out there and straighten them-"

As she tried to pull herself up, Colin gently pushed her shoulder down onto the mattress, "Yeah, or you could get your rest. They'll be fine. Who knows, they probably need this."

Vylira scoffed weakly, shaking her head just barely, "That's why men weren't Sentinels for millennia; they pull shit like this all the time. Just let me-"

"No," Colin replied, with soft authority, "I'll take care of it."

Sighing deeply, Vylira shut her eyes, shaking her head as her lips turned in, displeasingly. She remained there for a slight amount of time, as if trying to find sleep that wasn't there, though after a few more moments, her body began to shift restlessly, her position becoming more and more uncomfortable having been laying there for quite some time, only stopping as another *crash* broke in from outside, a rather loud cry coming from one of the two.

Vylira finally spoke up, "I couldn't help but notice that you're not taking care of it."

Colin grinned, "You're really going to have a difficult time with children if you think you're going to keep an eye out all day, every day. Especially given your lifespan."

"Oh god…" Vylira murmured, annoyed, lazily pulling an arm up to cover her face, "Don't even… The Cenarion Circle takes them in soon enough…"

He chuckled quietly, turning to look toward the door once again as the fighting began to die down, "See? Now with all that energy gone, they can have a real heart to heart."

Vylira sighed, shaking her head weakly, "We'll see."

* * *

Kyra and Syheath had both collapsed, sitting across from one another as they leaned against either the inn or the railing, their breaths escaping them like bellows as their heads leaned back, exhaustedly. Kyra pulled her legs toward her, resting a hand on her knee as she looked at her sister, taking a gulp of air as she tiredly attempted to speak, her voice only coming out through heated breaths.

"What is it…you want from me?" she questioned plainly, Syheath's eyes meeting hers as she went on, "All I wanted was to love you. For decades, I was holed up in our home, only ever seeing priestesses or our parents. All I ever wanted to hear about was my brothers and sisters; I would ask out father, every time I saw him, about you, and Kalaeth, and everybody."

Her eyes dimmed slightly, "I thought it would be so cool to go on one of your adventures down south to Al'Ameth. Father brought a nightsaber in for me to see one time, and I loved it, and you were the only sibling who I ever heard go out to play with them. That's all I ever wanted, and I was so jealous; but more than that, I wanted to do it with my older sister."

Kyra brought her wrist up to wipe away her tears, lowering her face as she shook her head, "For however much attention you believe I took from you, I lost so much of my life in that house, battling whatever illness it was that was attempting to consume me from within. I wasn't sitting in there, planning, trying to figure out how to steal more of our father and mother's time- I was trying, so desperately, to fight to be with you and everybody else."

Syheath's lips knowingly pulled to the side, her eyes looking away, feigning a lack of emotion, "I guess I never saw it that way. I mean, by the time even I came around, Kel was knee deep in Darnassian politics, Nyl had already gone into the Circle, but Vylira was being recognized- and with those twins... Father and mother already had little time for me to begin with even before you showed up."

She sighed, "I suppose it was a bit unfair to blame you for all of that."

"Just a bit," Kyra repeated, grinning.

Syheath rolled her eyes, "Shut up; I'm trying here."

Kyra couldn't help but laugh as light as she could, just managing to hold a hand to her mouth to hide it, though still earning an unamused stare from her sister.

"After everything that has happened, what, with Ulric and everything…" Syheath began, tilting her head back to look up toward the stars above, "I've come to realize that this is quite the transitional period in my life. Maybe I should use this as a chance to reevaluate some things, resolve some grudges. We've all already decided to take a sort of leave; I don't know, maybe I'll go home for a bit or something."

Kyra smiled, "I'm sure mother will like that."

Her sister's head turned down toward her, "Is she still as stubborn as ever?"

"She's working on it," Kyra assured, "I think the more of her children come home with mates, the more she realizes her first go-round as a mother wasn't as successful as she'd have liked it to be. The closer she gets to grandkids, I guess, the more she sees it as a second chance."

She looked up to notice the lost face on Syheath, leaving Kyra to recall just how little she was within the loop, her lips grinning mutely as she explained, "Nyl has a mate, Esaria; and to that point, Aaleas has one as well. I happen to be the third, so that only leaves four left; mother _and_ father probably think they're running out of time."

Kyra laughed lightly to herself as she rested her head against her knee, her eyes closed in recollection of her home, which was far more comforting than the unending horrors that Northrend had offered since her arrival. Syheath looked away, attempting to seem uninterested, though she couldn't help but reveal her curiosity.

"Esaria. What's she like?"

Quickly, Kyra grinned, slowly rising to her feet as she made her way toward her sister, earning a particularly concerned look from Syheath as she grabbed the blanket, throwing it up into the air with one edge in hand, allowing it to fall down atop the two sisters as Kyra sat beside her, noticing the begrudging groan from her older sister.

"This is a bit too much…" Syheath complained, though Kyra failed to notice her seriousness.

"She's really cool," Kyra nodded, bundling up beneath the thick blanket, "Like, ' _chilly'_ cool. The two of them came for a visit and I think I got thirteen words out of her, all one-word sentences at that. I guess it matches Nylfallas' still waters, though I'm not sure whether or not either of them ever talk to one another. She does have this pristine voice, though; it'd be pretty if she ever let it be heard."

She turned toward Syheath, "Why do you ask?"

Syheath frowned, now unable to truly hide much at this proximity with her sister, though she tried her best, "Nothing; I was just wondering is all."

Kyra watched her suspiciously, her lips curling into a smirk as a blush ran across Syheath's face, the older of the two nervously stammering aloud, "W-What?!"

"You're seeing how Ulric fares against everyone else, huh?" Kyra accused, teasingly, quickly and playfully recoiling as Syheath threw her head toward her, her hands stuck beneath the woolen blanket.

"I am _not_!" Syheath shouted.

Kyra smirked, "Father likes Colin, you know, so _your_ mate will have to be-"

"Shut up!" Syheath growled, "I don't even _like_ that word! We're not even anything; we're just friends!"

She groaned, angrily, as she turned her head away, lowering it toward the brim of the blanket to help warm her neck, "Even if he _was_ anything…"

"Huh?" Kyra questioned happily, enjoying being able to tease her sister further.

Syheath threw her head back around, "You do realize that, from everything I've been able to tell about your 'mate'; even if Ulric were anything more than a friend to me, he'd make way more of a good impression on father than _anybody_ you could up and find."

Kyra eyed her blankly as she listened, though slowly enough, having listened to Syheath's words, she only smiled, shrugging, "Who knows."

"What's that mean?" Syheath asked, critically, her brow jerking forward aggressively.

Kyra didn't reply, though she did retain her smile as she leaned her head back against the railing, closing her eyes in a quiet solitude, leaving Syheath to continue staring at her, angry at not receiving a reply, "Hey! What did that me-?!"

The balcony door creaked open to reveal Colin, whose body was half-turned as if still being given orders from within as he spoke out loud, "Hey, Vylira was getting worried about you two, so- Oh."

Kyra smiled up at him, "We're doing fine."

Syheath was less than enthused, lowering her frowning face, "I could do without the closeness…"

Quickly raising a thumbs-up back indoors, Colin nodded, leaning forward as he began to return, "Sorry for the intrusion, then."

"No," Syheath sighed, rising to her feet, "I really should be getting back."

She looked down toward Kyra, an indiscernible sort of either a smile or frown appearing as she did so, "See ya, kid. I guess."

Kyra jumped to her feet as well, pulling the blanket up and around Syheath's shoulders before shoving her own hands into her coat pockets, nodding gingerly, "I'll make sure of it."

Syheath turned away, as if never having said a 'goodbye' before, and approached the door, eyeing Colin critically as if to figure out what her father had seen in him. In reply, Colin dropped his eyes to emulate her in studying her face, earning a sarcastic rolling of her eyes as she stopped beside him, tilting her head as if preparing to extend a challenge.

"What makes you so good?" she questioned, seriously, "Why does my father like you so much?"

Colin returned a blank stare, unaware of her words for a moment, trying to understand where she was coming from. He turned toward Kyra, who returned a shrug, leaving him to watch Syheath alone, trying his best to come up with a reply as she impatiently crossed her arms.

"I just draw," he shrugged, "And I love his daughter."

Syheath eyed him drolly, sighing as if her question hadn't been answered in the slightest, making her way through the room and toward the entryway to leave, Colin hearing the faint speech of her speaking to Vylira before leave before he started toward Kyra, who'd sat back down against the railing, holding an edge of the thick blanket as if to invite her lover, which he accepted readily, sitting and sliding close while pulling the blanket over him.

"Huh," he muttered aloud, wistfully, working an arm around Kyra's torso as she happily snuggled up to him, "I feel like I've aged a bit since starting on this trip."

Kyra giggled, mutely, "Technically you have, if you've just jumped up on the immortal scale."

Colin frowned, "I wouldn't have done this had I known _that_!"

"Shut up," Kyra grinned, her head tilting up to look up at his face from his shoulder, "You'd probably still be younger than me."

Shrugging, Colin inquired, "So what do I need to know about all this? I mean, I've been living pretty reckless for somebody who's to live a lot lo her than a hundred or so years."

Now Kyra's lips turned down, unhappily, "Why won't you say it?"

"Say what?"

He looked down at her, their eyes meeting for a moment as their souls crossed the wind into one another. Kyra's face turned sad as she recognized his eyes. They were the eyes of every elf she had encountered, though she thought that somebody who was immortal would certainly have a difference within their eyes. She knew Colin was looking thousands of years away, though he refused to stare into eternity.

"Nothing…" she finished, lowering her head and shutting her eyes, enjoying their warmth surrounding her.

Colin could only look down toward the wooden slats of the deck, his eyes staring listlessly into space before he quieted his nerves by laying his head atop his lover's, feeling the soft tufts of her hair running against his cheek. He had missed it so very much.

"We're thousands of miles away from our house," Colin began, quietly, "But I can't feel much more at home than right now."

Kyra tried to smile, though found it difficult without her eyes turning sadly, thankful that she couldn't be seen while her thoughts, and her lover's words, ran crisscross in her mind.


	44. Having Returned Home

Colin dropped his shovel into the soil below with a massive scrunching of earth, pulling up a large glob of dirt and gently dropping it to the side of the now-exposed hole, shoving his spade into the dirt to take a break, wiping the sweat from his brow as he looked up toward the blazing sun above, collecting his breath with gentle pants. Kyra watched him from across their garden, examining him carefully before returning to her own work, content that he wasn't in any danger of heat exhaustion. He grabbed a pitcher of water that had a rope strapped through its handle, bringing it up for a drink before walking along the lengthy slump of soil that denoted their earlier work.

"Well, shouldn't take too much longer," he spoke up, handing the pitcher down to Kyra, which she readily accepted, "Oh, the disadvantages of living out in the middle of nowhere."

Kyra grinned, taking a sip while still crouched down, "And the disadvantages of naming every animal that pokes its head around here."

"That was _your_ fault," Colin noted, humorously, "If you were going to help teach me Darnassian words anyway, we could have named our herbs or vegetables. Wivith sounds better as an orchid than an ugly-looking boar anyway."

Rolling her eyes, Kyra tossed the pitcher up toward Colin, her mate catching the thing container expertly as she bent back down to finish rolling the soil over atop the single seed beneath her, "Names or not, you'd never volunteer to actually hunt game, except for when you're trying to impress my family. Remember when Aeneas showed up and you stayed up so late to match his bagged mountain lion?"

Colin sighed, looking away drolly, "Yes, yes; I snuck in through the window so he wouldn't see the rakes on me. I should have known it was a stuffed lion he'd gotten by that point."

"His games still sneak up on even Nyl, so you shouldn't be too ashamed," Kyra assured, rising to her feet as she wiped the dirt from her hands.

Watching her do so, Colin reached out with a single hand to grasp her hand, manipulating her fingers open as he brought the pitcher over to wash it off, Kyra catching on and bringing her second hand up for the same treatment. She smiled as he carefully washed off her skin, the water also dripping down onto the soil below.

As the pitcher emptied, Colin dropped it down by his side, the container jumping up at the end of the rope before swinging against his side. Before he could pull his other hand away from Kyra's, however, she'd already taken it, running her wetted hands over it, using what droplets of water she had left to wash his own hand off, smiling sweetly as her eyes jumped up to meet his from her dropped head.

"I love you," she whispered, so very sweetly, from behind nearly-closed lips.

Colin smiled, closing his hand over her own, "Are we still up for going up to the peak to see the stars tonight?"

Nodding, Kyra pulled her hands away, crouching down to collect her gardening equipment, "Absolutely. That is, unless you're afraid of ghosts."

"Pfft," Colin scoffed, waving her off, "We've been up there, what, fifteen times, and we've never even spotted a ghost."

"I don't know," she smirked, mischievously, "Call it elven intuition; I feel a paranormal wind coming down from those high mountains."

Colin only gave a teasing rolling of his eyes as he grabbed the rest of their equipment, "Wild horses couldn't keep be away from our date. Besides, with this heat, it would be nice to get some of that high-altitude chill for a bit."

"Already missing Northrend, I see?" Kyra inquired, almost teasingly, as the two rounded the house.

"Nah," Colin shrugged, "Just the weather. At least up there, you don't begin to sweat the moment you step outside."

Having been back for only a few weeks now, Kyra and Colin had done their best to return to a routine, though that had become more freeing of a process now that they no longer needed to take out time for their sleeping druid. Without the need of a makeshift barrow den, their open shed now allowed them the ability to plant and harvest far more easily, and today had been the day they'd decided to begin their foray into gardening.

Upon returning to Kalimdor, Vylira made it clear that she would not return to Teldrassil in such a lowly state, so on their way down south anyway, the two left her in the care of her Silverwing sisters in Ashenvale, while also sending news back to their parents of, not only Kyra and Colin's safety, but of Syheath's apparent meaning to visit, which was met with excitement by Eldris, specifically, the old elf always happy to visit with his more fleeting of children. His script had turned to near-scribbles on his reply, before jarringly switching to Cayssarin's far more elegant handwriting mid-sentence, where shed begun to simply dictate for her husband.

"We didn't do too bad, did we?" Colin wondered, slinging his shovel over his shoulder before pulling open their shed door, "I mean, I have no green thumb, but it looks like a garden out there."

Kyra thought quietly for a moment as she followed Colin inside, "I mean, this is far different from back home- pretty much everything is guaranteed to grow there. Hopefully we'll receive some blessing; I know it seems pretty difficult for anything to grow out here."

The two of them put away and organized their equipment, both staring a collective sigh of accomplishment as they eyed their shed, gradually noticing, more and more, the lack of hay that had once covered the floor. Colin chuckled, his lips pulling inward in bitter satisfaction.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"Pfft," Kyra scoffed, laughing as she turned to leave, "At least I don't have to smell that earthroot anymore. It's one thing to smell it while sleeping, but I only think of cleaning up the Cenarion dens for weeks on end as an initiate. Just a whiff and it takes me back to scrubbing on my hands and knees."

Colin grinned, amused by her quaint little tale, "For a being going on three hundred, you certainly have your fair share of stories that I haven't even begun to know about in the two or three years that I've known you."

" _Age_ ," Kyra frowned, reprimanding Colin for noting her age, even if it was only just halfway to middle age for her, "There truly isn't much to tell, considering how much of that was spent upon Teldrassil. Beyond that, you were directly responsible for that no lo her being the case, and as such, pretty much know everything extending beyond this third phase of my existence."

"Third?" Colin questioned, closing up the shed.

"Well, I couldn't the end of my illness as my second phase," Kyra explained, "For a good, nearly hundred years, my life was nothing beyond my bedroom. Just me and whatever stories I heard from mother and father. So no wonder I grew impatient of my life on that tree; I sort of developed a sense of how shortened my life was, and I wanted to see the world and do great and astounding things for my people."

Colin smiled, "Well, all we have, now, is time. Where would you go first?"

"Oh, everywhere!" Kyra smiled, "Pandaria, the Swamp of Sorrows, the depths of Blackfathom; I want to go everywhere!"

She smiled a radiant grin, turning to Colin with a solemn look in her eyes, "I know you always said we'd travel, but now, knowing for sure that we truly have so long… It just feels more real that I get to see everywhere with you."

"We could start tomorrow," Colin smiled, taking her hands into his, pulling her close, "Just kick up these plants and just run off to wherever."

Kyra grinned, hiding a laugh, "I've seen enough of Northrend for one lifetime. I'm about adventured out right now."

Colin looked away, still smirking at how silly his idea was in the first place, though such a flight of fancy appealed to him nonetheless, turning back toward Kyra as she muttered aloud, questioningly, "Why wouldn't it be tonight?"

Blankly, Colin quickly answered, "Well, our date. It's important, after all."

"I wouldn't think it was any more important than any other trip up there," Kyra shrugged, following along as Colin nervously spun away, getting a head start into their home, "Why, is something different about it?"

"Of course not!" Colin quickly replied, "It's just- You know. We've had it planned for a while now."

Not one for lies, Kyra eyed him from behind, skeptically, though Colin hadn't ever been known to lie to her maliciously. Perhaps he had simply run up to the peak and set something up for the both of them? Either way, she was sure his version was for her benefit, though that only stoked her curiosity as her lips pulled to the side in frustration of the unknown.

"Anyway," Colin continued, quick to segue to a different topic, "I'll prepare something for lunch perhaps."

As they entered their home, Kyra paused just beyond the threshold, watching Colin curiously as he, rather quickly, escaped from her, along with any questions, leaving her with a frown as she stood there, arms crossed, as the door shut gently behind her. She sighed as he disappeared, dropping her arms as she looked on toward the small table just beneath a nearby window. She smiled at the sight of the Alor'el sitting there in its pot, having lost nothing of its magnificence since the night shed first laid eyes on the flower.

She smiled softly as a finger reached up to lift one of its delicate petals, whispering softly to herself the affirmation that had been repeated now-countless times, "Alor'el a'dore…"

Breaking the tenderness surrounding her, Colin's voice broke out through their home, "Okay, well, is boar roast good…again?"

Kyra's eyes now dropped, thinking, again, of that god-forsaken gift the two of them had been given to them before leaving Ulric's party. They'd gone the night before their departure and hunted down the largest boar they could find, offering to Kyra and Colin as if forgetting, both, Vylira's near-incapacitation, and the fact that neither of them had a tauren or draenei porter. Not only was getting it home a nightmare, figuring out how to cook it was a whole other thing, leaving Colin to simply stick it in a pot roast along with a myriad of herbs and spices in any sort of attempt to make it pleasant.

It worked, but this would be the sixth straight meal of it, given the two's being gone left them with little food at home. Kyra knew Colin understood her boredom with it, letting out a disinterested sigh as her head leaned back, starting toward the kitchen.

"Again?" she asked, worriedly, "I mean, that's fine, but a few more times and I can't guarantee that I won't-"

Turning into the kitchen, Kyra jumped in shock, taken aback by the baking sheet of rolled up dough, like a pan of conjured up cinnamon rolls, though these were obviously not done by a magician's hand. Kyra looked up toward Colin, who grinned proudly, slowly grabbing a baked pouch of bread and gently hovering it toward Kyra, who remained awestuck.

"W-What?" she asked aloud, taking the pastry in her hand before carefully bobbing the hot delicacy up and down between either hand.

Colin shrugged, "Tonight's a special night, so I figured I'd start it off with something slightly as special to match it. They've got some of that boar in it, but there's some silverleaf extract and some other stuff that should remind you of home."

"But how did you-?"

Revealing his two open hands, wiggling his fingers about, Colin answered, "Just a wave of the hands. Is it crispy enough?"

Kyra slowly eyed the cooled pastry in her hand before gently bringing it to her lips, taking a bite before her eyes closed, suddenly transported back home as far as her sense of taste was concerned, her legs bending dramatically as she leaned her head back, wistfully.

"It's delicious," she nodded, "Though a bit more crisp would be-"

Colin reached out a hand, earning a confused stare from Kyra for but a moment before she caught on, lowering the pastry in his hand. Her lover grinned mischievously as a stream of light smoke began to appear, floating up from his hand as his muscles tensed, a light brown char beginning to work its way up the pastry as an intense heat grew upon his palm. Kyra smiled appreciatively, nodding diligently once the bun reached her preferred doneness, leaving Colin to toss the pastry into the air, catching it with his other, un-scalding hand.

"Fair lady," he spoke, reverently, as he presented the delicious-looking bun.

Slowly, he reached it up toward Kyra's lips, her mouth opening gingerly as embarrassment began to settle in, though she still allowed Colin to carefully rest a portion of the treat just beyond her teeth, allowing her a bite from his own hand. Her eyes looked away as a blush began to radiate from her face, leaving Colin with a chuckle as he placed the pastry onto a nearby plate.

" _That's_ what does that, now?"

Kyra frowned, "I'm sure it was your intention…"

He smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close, allowing her head to fit in perfectly beneath his chin, "I have to make sure I get back at you for calling me 'cute', you know."

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry about all that Northrend stuff; obviously I should have just done this the whole time; this is much better than all of that 'action-y' writing I try to do xD_

 _Also, for WHATEVER reason, I must not have ever looked up the actual life-span of elves? I know I certainly should have, but up until this chapter, I've made it out to seem like they live quite a few thousand years, when an 'old' night elf is considered to be hitting 1,000 years old, according to the Wikia, anyway. So, pretend I went back and retcon-ed everything xD Other than a few spoken things for poetic reasons (which would still apply anyway), I didn't really go against the lore from what I can tell- I checked and don't think I ever even gave Kyra a specified age until this chapter! Then again, I've never done the same with Colin, who's probably around thirty at this time *insert irrelevance*_


	45. Stargazing

Kyra continued to steal sidelong glances toward Colin as the two hiked up toward the peak of Stonetalon, the sun burning orange along the mountain's ridges as it began to set. While Colin noticed her doing this, he couldn't help but try and keep a straight face as if he were oblivious, loving how confused she was as she did her best to sneak a look at his rather spiffy clothing. It wasn't so much formal, like the two's night in Stormwind so long ago, but it certainly was the type of dress one wears for special occasions.

Still confused, and curiosity building to a boil, Kyra finally asked, unsurely, "We _are_ just looking at stars, right?"

"Yep. Why?" Colin asked, feigning obliviousness.

Kyra's face contorted in thought, "Well, I mean, you're all dressed up. You told me to wear something a bit more…elegant. You are still aware that, the last time we did this, it had rained the night before and we were practically laying in mud, correct?"

"Oh?" Colin replied, still playing lost, though it only earned him a now-concerned look from his beloved as she examined his face.

She drew her eyes narrow, "All this stuff…it hasn't ruined anything, has it? Like anything with your memories? Delusions of grandeur, maybe?"

Colin grinned, finally turning toward her, "If I'm still in love with you, would it matter what my state of mind, otherwise, is?"

Frowning, Kyra looked away, "I mean, I guess not. I do like to think I'm spending forever with somebody, at least slightly, normal…"

"Okay," Colin began, chuckling, "You do realize, after all we've been through, I'm sort of the opposite of normal, right? I mean, I'm immortal now, for one thing. Elune thought it proper for me to bring your father back from death by my hand. I mean, I'm pretty out there, now."

Kyra shrugged, her face turning blank as she spoke plainly, "The only truly strange thing about you, really, is that you still choose to stay with me despite having met my family. repeatedly."

Slowly turning his head back toward her, "Choose?"

She shrugged, "I mean, that's what being a couple means, right? Choosing to be with a certain person, or if you're only of those Sin'dorei who chooses multiple people... Why? Did you think it was something different?"

"Well, no, but…" Colin trailed off, his face showing off his being deep in thought.

Kyra watched him for a moment, concerned, before looking down at her sundress, smiling, "Thanks for having me get into this. For someone so…I guess, brusque, sometimes, I do enjoy looking pretty like this sometimes. I usually think of my body as just a vessel to clear hurdles or perform general athletics; I almost forget I have curves and edges unless I'm in one of these, or when you're…"

In another blushing moment, Kyra cleared her throat while turning away, almost pretending as if she'd completed her thought when she hadn't. She'd finished it in her mind, and she'd said enough for Colin to have to use little imagination to do so himself, though he only smiled, deciding not to tease her on their way up the mountain.

"When you're being quite 'hands-on', as it were," she finished.

Colin stopped for a moment to lower his two bags to the ground as he readjusted his grip, smiling devilishly, "You still aren't used to that kind of stuff enough to not blush?"

Kyra wore a puzzled half-frown, stopping to think for a moment as she waited for him to begin again, "I think I prefer it that way. I don't know; I like it not being routine. I love when I look over my shoulder and find you staring at me, and how much that affects me."

"Besides," she frowned, fully, "You're just going to keep finding ways to force me into it anyway."

Smirking rather proudly, Colin returned upright as the two began walking once again, "You should have a pretty good idea by now that I can't exactly help finding you so gorgeous."

Now eyeing him herself from over her shoulder, a rather seductive look, Kyra's lips twisted into a luscious swirl of a grin, "Knowing that you're still 'trying' after these two years- you know, trying to impress me, it only helps me find you more and more attractive."

Colin watched her, confused, giving her a look that told her to explain, "You know; just before I return home, how you hurry to a mirror to fix your hair or check your face of any blemishes so that I don't see."

Now it was his turn to blush, though instead of peering away, he merely shut his eyes solemnly, knowing there wasn't much he could do in hiding with both hands carrying bags, "T-That's…"

Kyra giggled, "Or when you're moving stuff in and out of storage and you always manage to pick up more stuff at a time when you know I'm around, just to show off to me. I keep telling you that you're cute; you always deny it, yet continue to demonstrate it more and more."

Colin sighed, trying his best to retain a stoic air about him despite the redness creeping across his face, "I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree, my love."

Snickering childishly under her breath, Kyra gradually closed the gap between the two as they walked, skillfully tilting her head to the side to lean against his shoulder while her agile feet remained perfectly in step along Colin's side, "It makes me feel good, knowing that you feel like I deserve the effort."

A single, gentle chuckle accompanied Colin's soft smile, his eyes working to the side of him to peer over toward her, knowing full well that he wasn't nearly as adept enough to keep his own gait consistent while doing the same with his head. He simply kept his head down, watching the orange landscape begin his gradation toward the lush green of the peak, a sign of its history as a druidic outpost, further evidence by the moonwell that remained.

As if to remain attached to her roots, Kyra had periodically made trips up here to replace and cleanse the water, as all Sentinels knew well from their early days, cleaning barrow dens and moonwells in a ritualistic form of building character. Colin didn't always accompany her, as she assured him it was a difficult process to adhere to if you hadn't been under strict guidance for years upon years, and sure enough, the first time Colin had gone along, he was awed by Kyra's ability to clean crevices and portions of the moonwell he couldn't have even fathomed had existed.

Still, he would go on occasion, bringing his sketchbook along and drawing as Kyra dutifully paid her respects to Elune through her cleaning. While it was only legend, Kyra had heard at one point or another of the small settlement that had once rested here, which had held council long ago for, both, the Alliance and Horde at the climax of the Third War. Now, however, such legends were greater than the area they were about, the Cataclysm having decimated most of the life from this place, leaving only tales of ghostly tendrils and other oddities.

Kyra and Colin had yet to encounter any such ethereal beings, and on nights where the moon was new, the stars shone brilliantly above them, leaving them in awe and more than ready to return here every month to view the vastness of the wilderness only known to the great Pantheon.

Without thinking, Kyra had started timing her steps with Colin, though his strides were slightly longer than hers, leaving her winded as they approached the emerald peak of the mountain, forcing her to pull away as Colin dropped his packs, sighing in exhaustion as his hands took to his hips, "Well, do you want to check on the moonwell while I set up?"

Kyra nodded, dropping her own backpack beside the other two before making the slight distance to the moonwell, smiling softly as the ghostly vapors continued to arise from the spectral waters. She stopped at its edge, noting that everything was in its place, though she sat atop its stone boundary, gently lowering an open hand into its waters, waving it lazily, back and forth, watching the sloshing of the waters evaporate into more vapor, leaving her with a nostalgic smile. Such things were forbidden, and my night elf children, upon being told "no", would stifle giggles as they attempted to sneak a hand in. Kyra was no different, and now that she had, basically, her own personal moonwell, her smile grew into a cocky smirk, feeling as if she'd just knowingly disobeyed a superior.

Her head raised, peering across the tiny, green valley, now staring curiously at Colin, who'd just appeared from behind a large tree, as if trying to hide something. Her eyes lowered suspiciously as she took to her feet, starting back toward Colin as he began to unpack, throwing a large blanket across the ground to serve as a place to lay before once again reaching in to start pulling out small bits of food for the two to nibble on. He looked up at Kyra, his face turning to confusion as he recognized her curious glance, his lips simply grinning as if unable to even keep to himself whatever it was he was hiding.

"What's _that_ smile?" Kyra asked, playfully, crossing her arms.

Colin shook his head, continuing to unpack atop the plush blanket, "That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Come on, just lay down and we'll start the stargazing; I even brought some snowplums."

Kyra frowned, still attempting to figure out what was going on, though she acquiesced, slowly making her way down toward her knees on her way to the ground. Colin happily smiled at her until he was content with her progress before he finished up unpacking, pulling out another blanket in case the cold chill of night were to swirl around. Then, he fell backward, staring up into the sky for a moment before rolling his head to the side, seeing Kyra still watching him with a critiquing stare.

"What?!" he asked, unable to hold back a laugh, "I can't just make a normal night a bit more special?"

Kyra turned her head back up toward the sky, concluding with a short, "Hmm."

Colin cocked a smirk, himself returning to the vastness of the heavens above. His hand slowly worked its way over the blanket, blindly coming against Kyra's hand with his forearm before adjust himself slightly to take her hand into his, her fingers entwining with his despite her displeased tone a moment ago. He smiled as his eyes traced the various trails of sky, staring off into infinity, just able to make out the curvature of the atmosphere above. The thought hadn't truly hit him until the day or two before; the thought that he'd be spending the rest of Kyra's time here at her side, making her smile, making her laugh.

Making her a bride…

His free hand slowly slipped into his pocket, doing everything he could to avoid and sort of suspicion on Kyra's part, his fingers running along the two rings that rested there. His thumb ran along the length of one of them, recognizing the tiny bits of amethyst that had been woven into the metal so expertly by Ovuun of all people, threaded along by the same vein of silverbark that had led Colin to truly fall in love with this woman, so long ago on that stormy night in Darkshore.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Kyra answered, in just the same timber, without an ounce of hesitation.


	46. Dearly Beloved

An hour or so passed with the two of them trading words of little note. They would often spend their time stargazing together like this simply talking about whatever came to mind- stories from their past, thoughts they'd had recently about whatever had been going on, plans for the future; just things that seemed so insignificant when either of them looked into the vastness of space, their hands held in a comforting union as they lay there, wallowing motionlessly in the space between sleep and reality.

"That day I went down to hunt down that traveling merchant?" Kyra spoke up, "He has a kid now; he got the news just the other day. Said he's thinking about hanging up his walking shoes for good, but that he'd keep us informed of anybody else that might come by here. Understandably, we _are_ quite a ways beyond any sort of trade route, unless a trollish merchant happens to be passing through for whatever reason."

Colin listened intently, nodding along as Kyra's head rolled to the side, her bright eyes peering at him as she continued, "Do you like living out here?"

Smiling, Colin nodded, not knowing he was being watched, "Yeah. I mean, it's different from the hustle and bustle of Stormwind, but you and I make our own way out here. It's sort of freeing, and much more personal, I guess, knowing I'm doing so much with only you. Why?"

She shrugged, looking back up toward the stars, "No reason, just- I know I was the one who wanted to live down here, at least for a bit."

"I know I'm your man, but how many sturdy houses are you wanting me to build you?" Colin inquired, humorously.

Kyra cocked a grin, "I'd say not many, but given your increased lifespan…"

Her lover scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief, though Kyra's eyes dimmed in time with her expression, which turned down in sadness. Colin had never seemed to look beyond _her_ life, despite what he'd taken, which continued to sadden her. For something so magnificent, she figured he would be on board with truly living forever, though she knew, already, what his response might have been.

Still, she figured she would ask again, slowly leaning her head back to the side, "Hey, why don't-"

"Let's take a walk," Colin suggested, looking back up toward her, "I mean, we could go see your moonwell and the abandoned buildings up there."

Before she could answer, Colin was already up to his feet, turning toward her with an outstretched arm to help her up, making the decision for her as she went ahead and reached up to join their hands together, her body lifting up effortlessly beneath Colin's steady pull. His hand trailed along her arm as it left hers, working its way across her lower back as he pulled her along in guidance.

They started along, leaving Colin to nervously adjust his collar as they did so, his mind feeling how odd it was that he was suddenly so rattled, though his voice remained even as he began, "Look, you said earlier that it's a choice to be with someone, right?"

Kyra shrugged, "I mean, that's the simplest conclusion, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but-," Colin paused, swinging around in front of Kyra without letting his hand leave her, stopping the two of their tracks, "I don't think it's that easy; I mean, when I first saw you, I knew you were…drop-dead beautiful. I thought I was the luckiest son of a bitch alive to have seen you for any amount of time, much less for the few days we spent before parting. I knew you were so very strong, in spirit and stubbornness, and that you were quick witted and loyal and all these things. But at no point did I choose to love you; maybe it was sudden, maybe it was gradual, I don't know, but I do know that my heart aches and trembled when we parted in Ashenvale, and it was a feeling shook me to the core."

"Even while we were whole worlds away, you affected me so deeply," Colin continued, his voice becoming more and more quiet as he took Kyra's hand while speaking, bringing his other hand over to gently play with her fingers, "When I was in the throes of my darkest nights, you were there to quell my fears, if only in an artistic form. Remembering your voice lulled me to sleep, and the thought of seeing those same beautiful eyes kept me going when I was at my worst."

He eyed her from his downturned head, simply resting his other hand atop hers, "So when you say it was a choice, I don't- I'm not saying you're wrong, but at least in my own case, I don't agree. Everything about you, your eyes, that dark hair of yours, your laugh, smile, your- Just everything about you; it left me with _no_ choice but to fall in love with you."

Kyra smiled lightly at the thought, reaching her own free hand up to hold atop the stack of three others, "See, it's times like these where I wish I was more, uh, romantically inclined."

"I love that too," Colin grinned, "I mean, we'd have laid in bed until we died if we didn't have a responsible person here."

"Probably," Kyra giggled at the thought, allowing her eyes to meet her lover's as she smiled softly, surrendering her arms to Colin's direction as he took her hands and pulled them away, wrapping his fingers around her own as his other hand grasped her waist, pulling her close as their eyes remained locked.

Kyra smiled as Colin began to sway back and forth and around, pulling her into a simple dance as their feet ran along the grassy earth beneath them, leaving Kyra to speak up herself, "What about the stars?"

"The only ones I care about right now are the two looking back at me," Colin smiled, pulling her closer as he spun both of their bodies in a semicircle.

Smirking, Kyra stared down toward Colin's chest, feeling herself warm up from both her face as well as his skin against hers, her voice escaping her wondrously, "I was always so undesirable to so many of my siblings for so long. I spent so many years thinking I wouldn't have anything but my rank to my name."

Colin replied attentively, "Well, you certainly-"

"Hey," Kyra challenged, playfully, suddenly throwing her weight against Colin's movement, forcing herself into leading their dance, "You said what you had to say; now it's my turn. I'm not going to be that lady who just sits and listens to her mate."

Unable to keep from laughing, Colin distracted himself and suddenly tripped on his own feet, nearly falling into a heap on the ground, though Kyra was quick to keep him up, sticking her tongue out at him, "Not easy being led, huh?"

"Keep talking, Shadowmoon," Colin noted in a cocky tone, "If you aren't careful, you just might-"

She led him into a sharp turn in their rhythmic movement, allowing Colin to stick his foot between her legs to give himself leverage, his body's natural momentum overpowering her, forcing her to either give up her lead or fall. Kyra simply threw her leg out as she began to fall, wrapping the length of its backside around Colin's leg, bringing her through a dramatic salsa-like swing around, pulling his arms along the entire way, retaining her lead as they returned to a more simple dance.

"Looks like somebody practiced since last time we did this," Colin teased.

Kyra simply threw her head backward to send her long hair over her shoulders, sticking her tongue out as she returned to their dance, grinning with her own cocky grin. Shortly thereafter, their pace slowed and Kyra relinquished the lead, though by that time, the two of them had merely taken to swaying back and forth in place. Kyra took her arms and wrapped them around her mate, resting her head against Colin's chest as their legs meandered about, leaving Colin staring up toward the sky as he held his lover's head and body close to himself.

These moments were the most precious to him, he'd come to realize. Where no words were needed; the two of them simply coexisting together, apart from the rest of the world that chugged along so quickly around them, yet in this instances, they moved and swayed to their own rhythm, taking no direction from the world around them.

"What happened to your cheek?" Kyra asked, weakly, unmoving from Colin's bodily shelter, "I took us by the moonwell just to double-check. It usually glows when you're near one."

Colin smiled weakly, gently resting his face stop Kyra's head, his lips leading the way as he kissed her scalp, "Well, I suppose that's part of why tonight's so special."

Kyra stared off curiously, slowly raising her head up toward Colin without removing it from his chest, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see," Colin explained, looking back up toward the sky, "I'd say anytime now."

She followed his gaze up toward the stars, not noticing anything different. Some clouds had begun to roll in, though they were rather thin and didn't seem as though they would have hindered their gazing toward the stars much. Her eyes trailed quickly toward Colin's face before returning to the sky, very much unsure of what he'd been referring to, though a few moments later, Colin spoke up once again.

"Ah. There we go."

The landscape surrounding them grew so dark under the new moon, with no light to illuminate it, which made for prime stargazing sessions. Every time they would show up to this peak, most of their light came from the gentle glow of the moonwell, or from Colin's cheek, or Kyra's eyes; other than that, they could only rely on their eyes and the stars above.

Gradually, however, the ground began to shine with a brilliantly pale grey light, running the length of the grounds of this green grove, leaving Kyra to step back with a sudden quickness, skeptically viewing the ground with a steady curiosity. It almost looked like moonlight shining down before them, and sure enough, as she looked up into the sky, there sat the moon itself, peeking out from behind the clouds.

"W-What?" she murmured, unsurely, almost frightened by the magnificent event that had taken place before her.

She looked at Colin, who only smiled as her as he took her hands from behind him, locking them between his two as his eyes peered endlessly into hers, "I had to call in a favor or two."

He smirked at her continued bewilderment, figuring he'd better explain the celestial abnormality before she jumped to conclusions, "So, tonight being special is a bit more than-"

"No shit," Kyra interrupted, staring up at the Elune's light on one of the nights where it should be impossible.

Colin laughed, weakly, tightening his grip on her hands, "Don't worry, it's only for us. I don't know the mechanics of it all, but we're the only two who can see Her. I had to offer something in return, of course."

Kyra quickly turned to him, a look of horror on her face, "You didn't…"

His smile lessened at her shock, though he retained a bit of it as she pulled her hand out from between his, immediately pressing it against his cheek, tears nearly beginning to well up in her eyes as she so sorrowfully watched her hand slide down his skin, finding no trace of Elune's touch there.

"W-Why would you…" her voice wavered, weakly, though Colin quickly reached up to hold her hand against his cheek, lowering his head so that their two foreheads met.

"Kyra, since I've known you, I've become so many things. You made me a man, a lover, a mate; you made me a diligent, loyal person who'd move the heavens above for somebody I love. You made me aware of Elune's light when all I knew was darkness."

He smiled, "I don't need my cheek to be reminded of Elune when I stare into your eyes every night. You said as much, years ago. You gave me your life to share, you've given me your body, and your soul, and you've given me two moons to light my way, even on nights like tonight."

Still with slight concern, Kyra's soft eyes stared up toward Colin as he smiled, his hand slowly reaching into his pocket as he continued, "I figured it was appropriate to have you both here. Well, that, and to blow your mind. Judging from your silence, I'd say 'mission accomplished', huh?"

He smiled, pulling his closed fist out and holding it atop her hand, which he'd pulled away from his cheek, "You've made me so many things, but… There's so many other things I want nothing more than to become, alongside you. A father, a grandfather, a man whose entire life is dedicated to a single other being, a weird old man with a woman rolling her eyes behind me."

Kyra broke through her stream of tears with a quick laugh, smiling weakly, if only because of how tight her heart was being pulled in that moment. Colin grinned, pulling his shoulder up to wipe his own miniscule tears away, before taking a large breath, his lips tightening together in magnanimous suspense as he stared into Kyra's eyes. Slowly, he lowered his knee to the ground, not breaking eye contact, though Kyra attentively began to look around the ground beneath them, even though eyes of tears.

"D-Did you drop something?" she asked, quickly darting her eyes back and forth.

"No, dear," Colin smirked, pulling her hands down to his lips to kiss, "Will you be my wife? and make me the happiest husband on this land?"

Suddenly recognizing what all this had been leading up to, Kyra's eyes grew wide, simply staring down at Colin in shock for the longest time, almost to the point where he began to feel slightly uncomfortable. He smiled awkwardly, chuckling lightly as he attempted to ease the stress.

"I mean, I know you thought you'd be undesirable, but I want nothing more than to make you my-"

"Of course.

Kyra reached up to wipe away her tears, smiling brilliantly as she slowly fell to her knees just before him, reaching her hands to either side of his head as she leaned in to kiss him, their lips joining in a loving union both their eyes shedding tears of joy. As she pulled away, Colin knew he hadn't ever seen her eyes shimmer the way that had right then.

"You're always giving up magnificent things for me," she muttered, lowly.

Colin only smiled, rolling his fingers out of his closed hand as he worked her ring out, "I'd give up the world for you."

Pulling her hand down gently, he slowly slid the ring down her finger, her eyes suddenly softening again as she gasped, suddenly, pulling her other hand up to cover her shaking lips. She immediately recognized the silverbark that had been worked into the ring. Her eyes couldn't pull away from the darkly purple band that so matched her skin and hair, the bits of amethyst worked into the band with no real pattern, almost as if she had a ring of stars around her finger, all connected by the gently elegant string of silverbark.

"That's the last of what Ovuun and I got from Darkshore that night," Colin smiled, contently.

Kyra's eyes worked up toward him, slowly, not wanting to leave the darkly gorgeous ring on her hand, "I've used that silverbark to fight for and protect you. Now I guess this means I can use it to love you."

"Forever," Colin grinned, lowering his head, "You know, I wanted to wait to do this. A hundred years, compared to you, it so cheap and meaningless; I wanted to make sure when I said 'forever', it truly meant something. That there will be no other, but you, for as long as I live."

Kyra lowered her head, suddenly self-conscious of how disheveled she must have appeared, though it allowed her to notice Colin's closed hand reaching over to drop another ring into her own hand, a simpler version of hers, which was also darkly demure in its appearance, matching hers, minus the tiny jewels and silverbark. She tried her best to keep from any tearful gasps as she grabbed Colin's hand, slowly running the band along his finger, though she couldn't help but jump as she released such an utterance.

"S-Sorry," she apologized, weakly, though Colin was quick to take her hands into his.

"Don't be," he replied, "I've never seen you more beautiful. Tears and all."

Another quick laugh broke through Kyra's tears, leading her into a blush, though this time, she proudly wore her red face as she looked into Colin's eyes, the two of them sharing their similar smiles while moonlight surrounded them both. She leaned closer to where her arms could wrap around her lover's head, pulling herself into a kiss, figuring that she keep his eyes closed were she to do so, both of them choosing lose themselves within the other.

Still on one knee, Kyra's weight soon forced Colin's leg to give way, his awkward stand causing him to fall backwards as he attempted to maneuver around, hitting his back with a slight grunt as Kyra followed, laying atop of him with her arms remaining around his head, allowing herself to grin teasingly as she watched his face loosen from its pained grimace.

Just as he began to recover, Kyra was already two steps ahead, her lips immediately covering his as she rained kisses down upon him, making sure to dab her lips along his cheeks where his tears had run, emulating him from the last time they'd been so close. It left Colin with only a contented smile as he savored every peck from her soft lips, feeling the softness of her body against his chest as she moved up his face.

"I don't care where we go," Colin spoke up, beneath Kyra's continued worship of his skin, "I'm never more at home than when I'm with you. In your arms, or in your lips, or-"

Kyra pulled her head away, eyeing him slyly, "or what?"

He laughed nervously, smirking like a child with a hand in a cookie jar, "I think you know."

Slowly, Kyra raised her body upright, leaving her to straddle either side of Colin's torso, mischievously grinning down at him as her eyes slanted playfully, "Maybe I do."

In the midst of her heated appearance, Kyra's eyes grew curious as Colin's own eyes peered beyond her, up into the sky above her head, leaving her to stare up herself, though only finding the moon as it were a few minutes ago. She looked back down, only to find him smiling softly, his eyes having returned to her.

From where he lay, Kyra's head rested just beneath the moon itself, giving Kyra a near-celestial hue around her being, nearly pulling the air from Colin's lungs as he watched her, simply uttering, "The moon's Embrace."

After a moment of silence, Kyra smiled sweetly, understanding what he meant, trying to keep herself still despite her hands running along her lover's chest, bunching his shirt up as she did so. Finally, she lowered herself back on top of him, her voice a listless whisper as her lips arrived just beyond his ear.

"This moon wants to embrace _you_ ," she grinned, before quickly turning her head to begin kissing at her lover's neck.

Colin smiled, reaching his arms around her body to hold her tightly, closing his eyes so as to exist simply with Kyra's lips only impressing upon his existence.


	47. A Few, Most Beautiful, Moments

Colin's hand just barely caught the handle of their front door, just barely managing to keep the two of them upright as they nearly fell in through the entryway, with Kyra desperate to find privacy as she pushed her lover as fast as she could while also taking his lips into hers, her feet trailing lazily along as she wrapped her arms around his head, worshiping his face as best she could while trying her best to remain mobile. Quickly recognizing that her responsibility had waned rather hastily, Colin tried his best to return the two of them home on his own, though the heat that welled up in his body fought back, nearly forcing him to put the two of the on the ground wherever they were and simply begin right then and there.

Leading the both of them into their home while remaining backwards, Colin stopped as he reached a leg out, pushing the door closed behind them before roughly pushing Kyra back into the wooden barrier, a heated gasp escaping her as she broke her lips away, her hands trailing down the sides of Colin's face, her nails leaving gently trails as she went. Colin eyed her with his own lustful stare, his body shaking as his own breaths grew rapid, watching Kyra's dimmed eyes from her disorientation, quickly pushing himself into her with his lips leading the way, sucking impatiently at her lips as a sweltering whine escaped her through, though muted by their passionate kiss.

Caught between her lover's powerful frame and the unrelenting slab of wood behind her, Kyra nearly felt herself melting from Colin's succulent kisses, her hands quickly grabbing at the back of his head and pulling him as close as she could possibly get him, feeling her legs beginning to weaken as her breath continued to escape her from Colin's lengthy kissing. He could feel her body begin to shake from him stealing her breaths, and he finally pulled away, allowing the two a rest, leaving the both of them standing there, catching up with their lungs as their hearts both raced, in time with one-another.

Colin broke his stillness first, having spent less time caught in these throes of passion, and made his way to Kyra's neck roughly sucking at her skin as he moved from her neck down to her shoulder, leaving her to released quiet moans as her head tilted down toward him, her body disobeying her as it instinctively answered to her lover's every caress from his lips. Her eyes shut solemnly as she surrendered herself to her skin's sensations, her nerves firing electricity through her body at every point his soft lips pulled at her.

Just as Colin's hands reached around to her back, her eyes just barely opened as if it was the only thing she could do in the way of curiosity, only just able to understand what he was doing while his lips continued pulling roughly at her skin. The back of her dress was a lengthy stretch of ties that kept its sides together at her skin, leaving Colin's fingers to simple weave their way in between the collection of bow-tied knots, his hand clenching into a fist, his knuckles brushing against Kyra's skin as her eyes pulled open in shock just before he could continue.

"D-Don't-" she just managed to eke out, weakly, before Colin gave a powerful tug along the back of her dress, yanking the ties out from the fabric of the dress, leaving its tightness around Kyra's body to weaken, leaving it able to slide down the length of her whole figure.

Her head fell forward during burning breaths, tears welling up from the sheer pleasure coursing through her, Colin's particularly forceful pulling apart of her dress causing a wave of excitement to rush through her body, though her voice weakly muttered near Colin's ear as he remained at her neck, "I-I wanted t- to keep this dress…"

Colin's lips paused their worship, though they remained close enough to her skin that Kyra felt them wrinkling up into a smile before he slowly pulled his head away, leaving Kyra to continue pleading, "Th-That dress… I b-became your wife in- in-"

"I understand," Colin smiled lightly, reaching in to give her a slight peck on the cheek before returning to her view, "If that's what you wish, I won't rest until it's fixed."

His face remained in view, smile and all, though his hands continued their movement, working toward the small of her back and gently pushing her dress lower and lower down her body, his touch that reached lower and lower sending further shocks through Kyra's body as she bit her lip, desperate to keep from any more pleasure-fueled whines.

"M-Maybe after to- tonight…" she concluded through her shaking breath, which was all Colin needed to know as he pushed himself back into her, their lips meeting once again as his hands continued working their way down, now with more freedom of movement due to his new proximity to his lover's body.

Her arms tangled around his head, Kyra's fingers clenched along Colin's scalp, her fingertips running through his hair as she pulled his face into her chest as he slowly leaned down, letting his hands run down into the seductive valley that trailed down at the end of her back, one hand ultimately finding its way between her legs while his other hand squeezed at tightly soft bulge of skin at her backside, forcing Kyra's head to fall forward into his shoulder as she did what she could to brace for what was about to occur.

At his very touch, Kyra's body took to periodic shivers, along with the occasional jolt of contracting muscles, which ended up loosening her dress further and further, leaving it only against her chest from the force of Colin's body squeezing against hers. As he pulled it finger into the space between her legs, it wasn't so much the feeling at his hand which signaled his meeting with her lips than the sudden burst of activity from Kyra's body, her arms suddenly constricting around Colin's head, stuffing his face against her shoulder as her own head immediately fell into his sturdy frame, her teeth instinctively biting at his skin in search of some release, unaware that her lover was at the receiving end of her vicious explosion of nerves until she caught the faint sound of his hot breath seething against her skin from the pain.

She quickly pulled away her face, a look of sheer horror covering her face as she turned to Colin, her voice still weak even as she muttered, "I-I'm so sorry!"

Colin only chuckled, his body reverberating against Kyra's as she retained her hold on him, wondering how quickly she would, again, lose her words as he brought his hand up against the bottom end of her backside, sending his fingers as deep into her as they could go, sending Kyra into another sudden bolt of expression as the only sound coming from her upper lips turned to near intelligible whimpers.

"F-Fu… Fu~uuu-"

It had been so long since the two of them had imbibed in such activities. Having been lost in returning their home to the same state in which they'd left it, the two of them found little time for such activities they fully understood wouldn't be mere singular events that would be finished in a moment or two. For one, Colin never would have allowed such a thing- even with an infinite amount of time at his disposal, Kyra knew full well that he treated each and every act of love and affection as their last. Even during such a routine thing as their morning kiss, Colin never failed to bring his hands into the act, pulling his fingers somewhere along her body as if enticing her body, leaving her skin wanting his own until that very night.

Especially now, at the thought of a bond to great, Kyra wanted nothing more in the world at this very moment than to solidify such a thing in the best way she knew how. Her skin grew goosebumps, her legs wavered, weakly, and her insides yearned for such a bond that she'd been devoid of for long enough.

Colin's fingered jutted in and out of her, the pads of the tips lovingly following the gentle and narrow patterns that folded and winded inside of her, paths that become like home to him in the time that he'd been with this woman. Compared to the burning of his skin left by his lover's bite, his fingers were met with a scorching sensation like none other as her body clamped down on the foreign length, a sultry volume of honey working its way against his fingers and dripping down the rest of his hand.

Kyra's teeth gritted from the pleasure as her eyes shut tight, her starlight tears rolling down her face as her heart nearly beat through her chest, feeling almost surrounded by Colin's warmth as his body gently pushed back against her, forcing her tighter between him and the door behind her. She felt like a caged animal, and as her mate's fingers began working in and out of her body, her body contracted again and again, feeling more supported by her lover's frame as her legs grew weaker and weaker.

Slowly, Colin pulled his hand from her, running his fingers along her skin as Kyra gasped breathlessly, "N-No…"

He smirked, "What?"

She whined mutely, not wanting to admit her truly depraved feelings, though still in the heat of the moment, she just managed to speak, "I feel so lonely when you do that…"

Colin only smiled brighter at the thought. He gently pulled his body from hers, just enough that her undone dress slid down her body, hanging from her hips before Colin's free hand pushed it further along until it fell to the ground, leaving her wholly nude before him. He then slowly pulled her arms from around his head, turning his head downward to examine her body; truly a sight to behold.

Kyra's lower body wiggled about, her insides still itching for more, especially beneath her lover's lustful gaze, leaving her voice in a supple whimper, "P-Please."

Colin grinned, quickly lowering himself to one knee, much like during his proposal, grabbing ahold of her thighs and keeping them pushed against the door. Kyra's eyes lowered curiously, unsure of what he was doing, though they quickly flared open as she saw his lips reach out to kiss her stomach, suddenly becoming nervous.

"L-Like thi- AH!"

Before she could finish, Colin had freed one of her thighs, his fingers quickly working their way back inside of her, being greeted with a further copious amount of her honey. Her body quickly fell forward, her hands desperately reached down to clutch at Colin's head in a sudden attempt at keeping upright. His lips slid down the curves just below her stomach, pushing his chin between her thighs as his tongue reached out, just tasting the gentle bud of her pussy, sending her fingers flying across his scalp as her body fell further forward, her claws digging into his skin as her eyes grew wide in terror as she stared down at the floor, preparing to greet her after another wave of pleasure.

Her eyes flashed up toward Colin's face, her bright eyes shining along the trails of honey that ran down his cheeks and what she could see of his chin, now glistening from her eye's moonlight, sending another jolt of shivering throughout her body. Just as her shaking legs began to give way beneath the growing assault at her clit, Colin's hand swept up through the air, taking in a handful of her breast before slowly pushing her torso back up to meet the door, keeping both his hand and arm against her body to secure her to the door as his tongue continued to lap along her lips and clit.

Her breaths intensified, and with nowhere else to latch upon, her hands reached up to take ahold of the arm that kept her upright, her torso not bothering to keep itself up and instead surrendering itself to Colin's hold on her. His tongue and fingers danced along, and within, her most sensitive spots, an empty space within her stomach beginning to well up as she longed for release by her lover's doing, the hair at the back of her neck starting to flex outward as charges of nerve endings began to flare excitedly between her legs as Colin's tongue swirled around her, that wet mass joining in a most sensual duet with his fingers, which curled forward, running against the most delicate spot within her, which he'd come to know well.

Cries began to escape her lips as droplets of tears began to fall onto Colin's face, his eyes opening just enough to see Kyra's face hanging from her shoulders, her shining eyes just peering over her breasts down toward him, their eyes meeting as lust-fueled moans left her, Kyra's own body unable to prevent such succulent noises as her mind began to leave her, orgasmic swirls of pleasure suddenly beginning to shoot throughout her body as her eyes shut tightly, her teeth biting her bottom lip as she immediately grew dead silent, leaving Colin to know that his work was nearly completed.

Her body constricted, nearly tugging Colin's fingers inward as her body exploded in orgasm, a suddenly, sultry cry leaving her as her entire body quaked, her legs tightening along either side of Colin's head as her entire body lost control. Colin felt a wave of lovingly warm honey pour out from her, dutifully lapping up what he could while his tongue continued swirling around her lips, sending further waves of shock up her spine as more and more cries left her.

"Gah! G-AH!" she screamed, lustily, her nails sliding deep along the skin of her lover's arm, her sexual release seemingly never-ending as she felt Colin's tongue continuing, again and again, to swirl around, feeling his lips continue to kiss and pull at her own lips, "C-Co-! Colin!"

Her face tightened painfully as pleasured tears rained down her face, a sudden sense of horror beginning to take root in the middle of her orgasm, the thought of this pleasure not ever ending suddenly terrifying her. Then, as if on cue, Colin stopped his worship, allowing his fingers to fall from within her, only letting his tongue dance along her delicate skin in the most loving of ways, granting her body the ability to escape from the bonds of pleasure.

As her tingling, pulsing body began to slow, Kyra's breaths broke through her in massive gasps, her vision having been weakened due to the amount of tears sitting just at her eyes, a certain warmth still radiating through her as Colin's powerful arm held her up, along with his hand, which still remained clutching her breast. She felt his lips against hers as her body continues to shiver below, though with her orgasm having ended, it only resulted in spontaneous twitches down her legs with every one of his licks or kisses, figuring he'd clean up while he was down there.

His eyes slowly opened, just now realizing that Kyra's were still locked on to his face, forcing a devilish grin to stretch across his face just out of view from her, his chin still buried as far as it could go into her nethers, his heated breath running along her most sensitive skin as he spoke up, easily, "You okay?"

No longer with either the energy or mindset to form much of anything in the sense of language, Kyra only nodded as she blinked, weakly, sending another few drops of starlight to fall onto her lover's face, only resulting in his grin to turn far more sincere in the face of her beauty. He managed to push himself up to his feet, quickly catching Kyra as he pulled his arm away from her, her weakened body unable to catch itself, though it only felt more warm to have her man there to keep her up by his own power. Colin hid a chuckle behind closed lips as he bent down, catching behind her knees as he pulled her body up into his arms, having already secured her shoulders with his other hand.

"Sorry," he laughed, childishly, as he turned toward the further depths of their house, "I didn't think it'd be so troublesome on your legs for all that to happen while you stood."

Far beyond any embarrassment that preceded the furthest reaches of a blush, Kyra merely replied, "That's never stopped you from strange locations for this before."

Unable to argue, Colin only wore a goofy smirk, "W-Well, I mean- You seriously can't expect me to do much else when you're hanging on me like that. Think about _me_ in that instance!"

Kyra's eyes worked their way up to his face, frowning as she muttered quietly, "All that work and only one of us felt good…"

"Oh hush," Colin rolled his eyes, "I feel like a million gold when I get you like that, so don't even. Being able to worship you like that, my love, is the most- URGH!"

Not stopping his strides, his step suddenly wavered as Kyra's hand had somehow finagled itself to the front of his britches, Colin's body suddenly jolting at the sudden press against his length. Despite his earlier words, sweet as they were, Kyra only stared at him with a droll look on her face, unamused by his words as if she was being held out of doing the same for the man _she_ loved.

"Only a million, huh?"

Colin chuckled nervously, "Well, uh…"

Kyra's hand did its best to run his length without being able to see, her eyes lighting up as his face cringed periodically from the weak, yet sudden bursts of nerves escaping his lower body.

"I bet I could make you feel like a million and one," Kyra challenged, a more sultry sort of voice leaving her than Colin could remember ever hearing.

His eyes turned to peer into her face, her eyes dimmed in exhaustion, her chest endlessly rising and falling as her opened mouth continued breathing heavily, despite her cocky attitude. He could only grin at the being she'd become since they'd first met, though she more or less had simply dove into the world the both of them had conjured up out of their previous lives. As much as Colin had changed, he realized Kyra ad done the same, and he loved her so immensely for it.

"What?" she murmured under her breath, confused by his prolonged stare.

Colin only smiled as he turned her body before stepping into their bedroom, "Nothing. I just can't take my eyes off you."

Kyra frowned, "I bare my skin and entire body for you and you merely stare at my face?"

"Well," he started, half-shrugging, "As much as I'm captivated by your body, I'm just as easily taken aback by how gorgeous your eyes are and everything that's behind them."

Kyra's frown persisted, perhaps upset that she had been taken into a blush at this particular time, simply turning her face away toward the inside of their room, "Just-… Just take me to bed…"

"Really? A blush at a time like this?" Colin wondered cheekily.

Her eyes turned to their corners, just able to make out his face, "Considering all that I have in mind for what's next and you're going to tease me?"

Colin's lips worked into a childish sort of smirk, "I mean, you always tease the ones you love, right?"

Kyra groaned, pulling her legs to sort of gently knock them against Colin's side, signaling her desire to take to her own feet, "Just put me down already and get onto the bed."

"Yes ma'am."

Obeying her orders, Colin allowed her slender legs to leave his arm, holding back a laugh as her confidence was only met by a stumble as she did her best to stand, all of her strength having left her feet for a moment or two, until she found a bedpost to grab onto, eyeing Colin with a droll glance as he raised his hands into the air.

"I didn't say a word," he claimed, though the smile on his face led Kyra to believe otherwise.

He started toward the bed, though was stopped in his tracks by another demand from Kyra, who suddenly pushed herself from her stable post, "Catch me."

Her feet returning to feeling, she still allowed Colin's arms to wrap around her, her hands going straight for his shoulder as she pulled herself up for another kiss, her lips assaulting his as if she had something to prove after their previous activity. She felt Colin losing himself within her lips, his arms sliding away until his hands remained at her sides, running down the length of her torso, his mind unable to realize that Kyra was merely partaking in a dance; one that saw her slowly pulling him around so that his back was toward the bed.

Her hands clenched at his shirt just above his shoulders, a smirk forming across her face as Colin's kisses continued, unable to feel the change in shape. In a split second, his eyes flew wide as Kyra pushed him backward, sending him falling back onto the bed, his backside making contact first before he simply fell backward, leaving only his knees to his feet hanging off onto the floor. He only grinned rather devilishly as she approached him, figuring she'd been after this sort of dominance since they'd finished moments earlier.

Her knees led the way, making contact with their bed at either side of Colin's lap, straddling him as her hands ran up his chest, her face giving an unsatisfied expression, nearly frowning as her hand merely touched fabric, rather than skin. Colin lifted his head gingerly, eyeing Kyra's fingers as they slid along the trail of buttons that rose up the middle of his chest, playfully floating atop the hard bits while her frown spun up into a mischievous sort of smirk, her mind caught up in a swirl of memory of just a few moments before, where her lover had taken it upon himself to strip her of her clothing, a chill running the length of her spine as she felt the phantom feeling of the jolt of pleasure she had received.

Just as Colin's eyes jumped up to her face, almost wondering what was keeping her, her fingers quickly slid between the path of buttons, grasping at either end of his dress shirt before yanking his clothing apart, her arms flying outward as the plastic buttons flew off every which way, leaving his chest exposed, the chill in the air just biting at his skin. Kyra wore her grin proudly as her body slid down to the edge of the bed, her torso slithering along his chest until her lips could press delicately along him, almost teasing him before a gentle sort of nibble made its way to his chest, leaving Kyra with a softly muted giggle as Colin's breath seethed out loud.

"I get the claws all the time; it makes sense I get the fangs too," Colin noted, Kyra's eyes suddenly flashing up at him as she leaned her head up toward him to show off her sly grin.

Her body continued down his body, making sure to dip her upper body low enough for her breasts to slide along his skin, making gently warm trails down his stomach until her knees hit the floor at the edge of the bed, leaving her between the dangling lengths of his legs as her hands followed along, clutching the hem of his pants as she eyed him seductively.

Colin's elbows slid to his sides, pushing himself up slightly to watch Kyra tug at his pants, trying to undo his belt before he could speak up, "You don't have to do that if you don't-"

"You do it to me all the time," Kyra muttered in reply, a dissatisfied grimace crossing her face.

"Well yeah, but-"

Her eyes swooped up to meet his, "Why do you offer me pleasure without me offering it in return?"

Colin's mouth tugged to the side, rather miffed at the question as his eyes averted hers, "I don't know; it pleases me to know I'm doing the same to you."

Kyra paused, sliding her hands away from his belt and resting them atop his thighs, "The same goes for me. When your lips meet mine like that, I can feel the world being ripped from me, if only for a few brief moments; where all there is- it's just you and me. Why wouldn't I want to do the same for you?"

Frowning, Colin replied, "I dunno; it's just different is all."

Kyra had quickly returned to her previous activity, having undone her lover's belt and fished out his length from the folds of clothing separating the two of them. Her hand gently ran up its side as her head leaned in ever so slowly, turning her head just before her lips met its most delicate skin, sending a quick shot of electricity through Colin's body. She returned to looking up toward his face, grinning at the sudden look of distance there as she brought his length against her cheek, smiling so lovingly back up toward him.

"Why is it any different? It's no less fun for me than my lips are for you. Both of them, in this case," she concluded, chuckling to herself proudly at her quick extension toward the end.

Colin's eyes glazed over slightly as Kyra's head turned once again, peppering him with kisses as she moved up and down, her mind only thinking of which spots to work, or rather, which buttons to press, as her lover's breaths began to shake, more and more. She couldn't help but grin during her kisses, pleased by how quick he was to fall into this lustful state where he was simply hers to do with as she desired.

 _Desire_ , she thought to herself, the thinnest slits of moonlight appearing as she just barely opened her eyes to watch Colin's face, a shot of numbness running through her legs as their eyes met, though Colin's peered through bunched cheeks as his mouth remained open in heavy breaths, his eyes squinting with nearly every peck of her soft lips. _Desire._ She could love this man every second of every day, but when it came to this sort of thing… When she could truly _desire_ him. When she could desire his body against hers, or his hands in her hair. When she could breathe in his breaths, feel his skin sliding against hers,

When she could taste him. Devour him.

A sharp gasp escaped from above her as Kyra's lips wrapped so delicately around Colin's length, feeling the movement of the mattress as his body shot upward, leaving him simply sitting on the edge of the bed as his hands made a mad grasp at the bedsheets, a searing pleasure coursing through his body, emanating his crotch. His teeth bit as his bottom lip as Kyra gently took in as much as she could of him, her eyes shutting gently as she focused on her lover's presence within her mouth, almost over her body in a sultry sort of invasion.

She could taste every bit of him as her tongue reached out, sliding along the length of his penis as Colin's breaths remained shallow between the sensations below as well as the cold air surrounding his bare chest. He leaned over, grasping tighter at the sheets, not wanting to put his weight atop Kyra's slowly bobbing head, though she loved feeling him above her, the idea of his body surrounding her fully while also invading her, curling into a loving shell.

As her head pulled back, her tongue made a particularly seductive slurp around the head of his length, Colin's hand immediately shooting up to grab Kyra's head, his fingers curling inward, grasping a handful of her hair as a sharp groan left his lips, his lower body growing numb from the flurry of sensations swirling up from below him. Despite his hand taking in a tuft of her hair, he never one tugged or pulled on her hair, a fact that stirred up a tremendous affection from within Kyra. His hand simply remained there, so perfectly straddling the line between adoring her and ravaging her.

Almost as if in praise, Kyra's mouth suddenly gave a sharp suck, yanking Colin's skin as his eyes shot open, his other hand joining in atop her head as his body nearly fell forward as Kyra's simple gesture had literally stolen a breath or two away from him. She only grinned at the reaction, unable to resist a slight chuckle that reverberated along Colin's dick, his body curling downward once again in a pleasure-strewn weakness.

He gasped for breath, his hands desperately holding onto Kyra's head as his body teetered dangerously closer to falling forward, despite her mouth keeping him securely anchored to the edge of the bed. Kyra sensed the aim of her activity coming along, and her pace increased, shutting her eyes as her head ran down Colin's penis faster and faster, her lips tightening whenever she took him in through a rough sucking, her tongue working its way along as well, managing a quick and supple lap at his tip, forcing tremendous quakes throughout his body as his breaths grew more thin, slight whimpers trailing off the end as he felt his orgasm approaching rapidly, his eyes closing as tight as they could, his hands rapidly following Kyra's head as it sped along just as quickly.

"K-Kyra!" Colin murmured loudly through a weakened voice, "Stop! I'm g- gonna-"

At his words, Kyra began taking sharp, luscious sucks as her head fell backward, only to begin again as her head fell atop his penis again and again, interrupting him as more breaths escaped Colin's lungs, his muscles seizing up as he felt nothing but whiteness filling up his mind, his hands involuntarily yanking Kyra's head toward him, her gently shut eyes turning tight as the whole of him entered her, tears immediately flooding beneath her eyelids as her throat burned, Colin's seed bursting out from within him, flooding her mouth as she so fiercely fought to keep her teeth from immediately biting down, as well as resisting the mind-shattering urge to relieve herself of the intrusion within her mouth, which now only further consumed her from within as his searing liquid spurted out from his dick.

His mind lost within nothingness and within Kyra herself, Colin's body fell backward onto the mattress, with his hands following along, as his orgasm immediately left him as quickly as it had arrived, having robbed him of every ounce of energy and breath as he lay there, his chest sputtering up and down as his lungs worked powerfully to regain control of his body. Kyra remained still, tears running down her full cheeks as she so desperately tried to work his seed down her throat, though between the presence of her mate's dick and the copious amount of his seed within her mouth, it proved too much, a trail of him running down her chin as she took a sudden gulp.

Suddenly, her head yanked away, resorting to an immediately coughing spell as her body recoiled, the quick release along his penis alerting Colin back to reality as he brought himself up to his seated position as fast as he could, watching Kyra worriedly as she held a hand to her chest.

"S-Sorry!" Colin quickly spoke up, "I told you you didn't-"

Kyra shook her head, even amidst the tears trailing down her cheeks, "Don't you dare apologize."

Colin watched her as she recovered, clearing her throat from the viscous liquid that had managed to work its way down, her body slowly curling forward as she also attempted to catch her breaths. Trapped in much the same cycle, Colin's body continued rising and falling as he watched her, a gentle smile appearing as he lowered his head.

"I guess it's no big deal for a Silverwing."

Kyra grinned herself, "It's no big deal for the woman you so desperately want to spend the rest of your life with."

She lifted her head to watch him as his eyes arose to meet hers, "or the woman who just as desperately wants _you_ forever."

Colin's lips turned up in a tender smile as he reached his hand out toward Kyra, who remained sitting behind her knees on the ground, "May I?"

She returned a similar smile before extending her own hand, placing it into Colin's as he pulled her up to her feet, her voice appearing in a bright reply, "Of course you may."

Pulling her into his seated body, Colin lifted his head for their lips to meet, the two of them continuing along as love and adoration continuing to pour from their hearts. Colin wrapped his arms around her waist and turned around, pulling Kyra down and toward the top of their bed, leaving him atop of her as he gently pulled her up closer to the top of the bed, her smile remaining unfazed as he did so.

"I want to be the mother of your children," Kyra affirmed, contentedly.

Colin smiled, "I want to be the man who keeps you in your sicknesses."

"I want to be the only one whose eyes you stare into."

Surprised, Colin paused, staring at Kyra, "…you knew?"

Kyra smiled, lovingly, "You never stare into anybody's eyes. You always look at their nose or mouth, but never their eyes. At least, you didn't…"

Colin lowered his head, though still unable to hide the sudden convulsion of his body from his quiet laughter, "Leave it to you to notice something like that."

"I'm already the only person whose eyes you peer into," Kyra smiled.

"You're the only person whose arms I sleep in," Colin confirmed, raising his head once again, "The only person whose chest I find comfort in, or whose hair I lose myself in."

Kyra's breath seethed, suddenly, as Colin's penis happened to brush against her thigh, "The only person whose arms I find my home within. eternally."

Colin smiled, brushing his hand against her cheek as he was all too prepared to lose himself inside this woman all over again. He felt her knee pushing against his thigh, caressing him in some attempt to goad him along, Kyra's skin remaining as bright as it had ever been. He directed himself accordingly, his dick pushing just inside of her as her lips welcomed him so sweetly, a slight moan escaping Kyra as her hands slowly reached up to wrap around his head.

"No changing positions in the middle of it," she ordered, a blush forcing itself across her face, though, as before, she now donned it proudly, "I hate how empty and lonely I feel when that happens."

Colin smirked, "Unless I finish, right?"

Keeping himself above her with only one hand, he brought the other up to her stomach, softly keeping it atop her skin as his heated body radiated that same warmth across her there. Kyra could already feel him within her, even without the two having begun, feeling how full and complete he made her. Feeling that swirling, scalding burning inside as he emptied himself within her entirely, his seed, his breaths, his energy; everything about this act was all for her to have completed.

"Yes," she finally replied, pulling his head down, leaving his back in a large arc as she held his face against her breasts, "Then I won't feel lonely afterward."

She felt the curling lips within the valley of her chest. The last thing she felt before the two of them, once again, became lost in the other. became a single being, if only for a few, most beautiful, moments.


	48. A Promise in the Night

Their bodies entangled, Kyra and Colin laid in bed, trading off sleep as the night drew on. They would talk until a silence fell over them, inevitably due to one of them falling asleep in the other's arms, leaving the only waking one of them to amuse themselves with their sleeping companion. Kyra would smile as she worked her arm free from Colin's embrace, reaching up to run a finger from his shoulder down his arm, clutching his bicep with her hand as her thumb slid circles around his muscle, continuously surprised by how sturdy he was despite his body not exactly showing it.

She pulled away, digging her head into his chest as carefully as possible, not wanting to wake him as she shut her eyes, surrounded by nothing more than her lover's skin and their thick blanket. His body pumping oxygen in a comforting rhythm, Kyra was lulled nearly to sleep by his scent, his warmth, and the lullaby that played through his heartbeat, fighting sleep as she so enjoyed this sort of quiet moment, alone with only herself and the tired body of her mate. her husband.

She smirked to herself, proudly, as she thought of such a thing; the idea of working him to such exhaustion by her own doing. Restraining a soft chuckle, not wanting to wake him, she merely took a deep sigh of a breath, pulling her leg up to rest atop of his when, suddenly, an ache ran through her thigh, resulting in a frown from Kyra. He had worked her body to a similar state, she remembered, imagining what sort of exchange such an event would have led to, quickly recalling Colin's childish grin and teasing voice.

She only rolled her eyes as a smile crept silently along her face, shutting her eyes once again as she allowed sleep to encompass her once again, burying her face against her lover, her find only counting the beats of his heart until she finally was off in another world, lost in sleep, leaving two bodies still beneath a blanket, holding one another as if to prevent the mere possibility of losing the other, even in their dreams.

Time passed through the night, the moonlight having long since vanished from their home, leaving only the faintest of starlight to light their surroundings. As Colin's eyes squirmed beneath his eyelids, they opened easily, facing darkness rather than the intense light of day. For a moment, he was slightly disappointed at not being able to get a start on his day yet, though he just as quickly came to feel the comforting warmth just below his head, his eyes trailing down to see Kyra's face hidden against him.

Her hair trailed messily all over the bed, though it still remained gorgeous even in its disorder. Colin had forever fancied her lavender hair, and had never failed to enjoy those moments where it would inevitably cover his face when he woke up on the nights where Kyra slept atop of him. They would often take turns, trading off on whichever's chest would serve as a pillow for the other, though oftentimes, Kyra would simply lay atop of Colin completely whenever he didn't force her to his side with his arms.

At first, he found a face full of hair to be an annoyance, but in time, he came to adore the soft coils of warmth which also inadvertently served to shield his eyes from the sun. Tonight however, having just awoken, Colin gently ran his hand up the length of Kyra's back, entangling her hair in his fingers before gently stroking at the back of her scalp, pulling his hand into a clutch as he pulled it along the entire stream of softness to its conclusion. He smiled as he dutifully continued, eventually switching to pulling his fingertips down her hair, a particular favorite of hers, as evidenced by her face suddenly beginning to shiver as she awoke herself, grumpily stirring against Colin as her voice suddenly broke the silence.

"That tingles," she frowned, reaching up to grab ahold of his wrist.

Colin could only smirk, "I figured I'd just enjoy you while I was awake here."

She groaned sleepily, "You can do whatever; except wake me up."

"I just couldn't help not having you at my fingertips," Colin explained, rather unsatisfactorily for Kyra's taste, "Being my wife has some added responsibilities, you know; sleep may, on occasion, be secondary to being the recipient of my adoration."

Kyra sighed, pushing her face against Colin's chest, "Then I might have to take it back. A Silverwing needs her sleep."

She began to giggle, leaving Colin to recoil slightly from the feeling of her finger pushing against his stomach, a rather ticklish thing, as he spoke up, "Once a Silverwing, always a Silverwing, huh?

Despite being surrounded by Colin, Kyra managed a dramatically proud nod as she replied, "Oh, of course. Even during my year-long tenure, we had elves return who'd been retired for hundreds of years, simply because it felt so much like home. Same goes for most Sentinel orders."

"Like your mother's?" Colin wondered, curiously.

Kyra's enthusiasm died down as her lips curled in thought, her eyes opening just barely as she answered, "Mother's…a unique case. The Shadowleaves, in general, were very unique. Where I hold my time as a Silverwing as a fond memory, mother has said, more than once, she retains her time as a Shadowleaf only as a scar on her mind."

A silence grew as Kyra finished, a quiet, contemplative sigh leaving her while her eyes closed once again, stealing away the gentle light that had emanated from below Colin's head, "Mother's always been unique herself, though. Dad's more than happy to reminisce on his days raiding small settlements or cryptically reciting, word-for-word, different incantations meant to incinerate different organs inside of a demon. Obviously, I never knew whether or not it was true, but whenever the older kids misbehaved, all he had to do was refer to them as "little demons" and that'd just about get them back in line."

Colin grinned at her story, though the tone in her voice told him she wasn't following suit, "Those two were always so night and day, mother and father. I still don't know what's bound them together so magnificently."

Still downtrodden, Colin was rather confused by her words. What she was saying sounded so positive and uplifting, but her voice said it bothered somewhat, leaving him slightly unsure. His hand paused midway down her hair, still clutching it softly as he turned his head down toward her.

"Why does it bother you so?"

Kyra's light returned, illuminating Colin's chest with a pale blue light that also shone Kyra's beautifully rosy skin, "It doesn't bother me, just- I often wonder about it for no reason beyond my own curiosity."

"Do you wonder what binds us?"

He felt the faintest of shivers from her, Kyra's voice immediately turning quiet at his words. Far from afraid of what her response might have been, Colin was merely curious, himself, by what exactly had caused this question to mull around in her mind.

The light of her eyes vanished once again, "You no longer have Elune at your cheek."

Colin chuckled, "What? You think a goddess was what bound us together?"

"No, but…" Kyra faded out, twisting her lips confusedly, "You gave that up for something so minute as a proposal when night elves don't even usually do such a thi-"

"It wasn't minute" Colin clarified, coming to understand where her troubles lay, her emotions having been swept up when the proposal had happened.

He frowned, as if slightly peeved that the meaning of his action had been misconstrued in some way, though he tenderly continued stroking Kyra's hair, "Kyra, you're the world to me. I would give more than my life for y-"

"Don't say that…" Kyra's voice emerged, whetted with tears, putting an immediate halt to Colin's words, "I already know what you have planned to do, and it kills me to think of you wasting another gift merely for my sake."

Colin's hand had already worked its way up to Kyra's cheek, performing double duty as his other arm was already wrapped around her from beneath. He could almost feel her breath growing colder against her skin, which nearly tore him apart, knowing he'd inadvertently left her alone with these sorts of thoughts for however long in the night. or was it inadvertent?

His throat went dry as his own mind wandered, though he quickly drew in a sigh, reaching his head down to kiss atop Kyra's head, lingering just long enough to catch the softness of her hair along his lips.

"You wanna know what my plan is?" Colin asked, not waiting for any sort of reply, "I don't care what I've been given by a god, or demigods, or whatever. Aside from the gift of life itself, you're the greatest gift I could have ever been given, Kyra Shadowmoon, and I won't, for any amount of time, squander the most amazing gift I could have ever received."

His fingers curled into a ball as his hand slid down to her chin, carefully lifting her face up to see her there, staring back with nearly-closed eyes, though having fought back any sort of tear that might have escaped. She watched him so distantly, as if such a conclusion she'd thought of had already come true.

"My only plan is to be your husband. To be your bed when you are tired, your pillar whenever you just happen to be weak, your best friend; I want nothing more than to worship you like the awed devotee that I am, and will always be, be it with my words, my undying loyalty and love, my tongue and my teeth, a gentle goodnight before we sleep, and I tender kiss to wake you in the morning. Until our final day together, I have no other plan than you dedicate my entire life to you, our children, our home, whether that's here or a thousand miles away. It would be far too much for me to separate my two gifts anyway; I might as well join the two."

Kyra's eyes had wavered averted, a tender smile appearing before the glance of her beloved. She hadn't believed she could feel so loved, and even though Colin's description sounded so one-sided, a retort was the farthest thing in her mind at this point. Her hand made its way upward, grasping ahold of Colin's as she gently pushed her fingers in between his own, pulling the pair of them down, leaving only Colin's face in view, his eyes so easily staring back at her despite the piercing glow in the dark.

A thumb ran along Colin's hand as Kyra took in a breath, stealing this moment in time before she spoke, "How many children are we going to have?"

"That's more like it," Colin grinned, happy to have relieved her mind, at least for the moment.

He leaned his head down, feeling an ache in his neck from the contortion, though it was the farthest thing from his mind as the two's lips met briefly before Colin smiled in reply, "Night elves don't have many, right?"

Kyra shrugged, "Usually one or two. Three's pretty rare. Like I said, mom's pretty unique, having as many as she's had. Some of the more crass elves would probably say my father's Illidari seed that's to blame, as if he's leaving her with demon children or something."

Colin chuckled humorously, "Well alright then. How about just two. A boy and a girl."

She eyed him coyly, "Can you guarantee such a- You know, you probably could by this point."

"Please," Colin replied, teasingly, before continuing quietly, "Maybe we'll keep a few hundred years between them, just so they have a true big or little sibling."

"That'll keep it easy for you, too, huh?" Kyra smirked.

Colin shrugged, "I mean, maybe. I have a lot to learn about being a parent anyway, and even more about being a father. To be honest, that's what scares me most."

"We'll have plenty of time," Kyra reminded, "Especially now. Plenty of time to make mistakes. Plenty of time to learn."

Colin nodded, unsurely, "I hope so. I'm sure your father will be more than happy to offer advice."

Her eyes rolled as Kyra sighed, "Are you kidding? Where do you think Vylira got her insistence to show up unannounced from?"

"I suppose you're right," Colin chuckled lightly, his eyes turning back toward Kyra, "What will we name them?"

Kyra's lips curled downward in thought, unsure of how to reply, "I don't know; I haven't thought of it, really."

Colin replied, "Well, I've been a mere lost soul in this world until you took me in, so perhaps it should be more elvish than anything?"

"If that's what you want," Kyra smiled, "You can do just about anything with names; Shilaei, Enea, Assillinn, Ja-"

"Arcy'ri," Colin muttered quietly, "That'll be our little girl. Arcy'ri."

Kyra smirked widely, "Invoking the gods already, are we?"

"I figured it was only appropriate. Breath of the Goddess."

Slowly, Kyra's hand reached over to Colin's side, running gently up his body before curling around behind his arm, grasping ahold of his shoulder, "Then our son will be Nasunyth."

Colin's eyes fell curiously, "I'm not even familiar with its meaning."

Kyra grinned mischievously, "Maybe that's why I never taught it to you."

"How long have you expected this, then?" Colin chuckled.

She replied, coyly, "Long enough, my love."

Colin nodded, resigning himself to this fate as he closed his eyes, speaking nearly in a whisper, "Arcy'ri and Nasunyth Shadowmoon."

"Shadowmoon?" Kyra wondered curiously, unsure as to Colin's wording.

"Why do _you_ have that name?" Colin asked, rhetorically, "Your father kept it to remind you all of the darkness that's within all of us, right? I want our children to have that same attachment, to remind them to become greater than whatever ails them."

He went on, jokingly, " _My_ family name is rather worthless now, anyway."

Kyra didn't reply, her eyes dropping sadly toward the mattress at Colin's words. It wasn't the first time she felt so unhappy at the idea of never being able to meet or come to know his parents, or what kind of man he would have been had they not perished. Still, she was more than happy to count him among her own, and she knew, quite readily, that her parents had very much the same attitude.

Colin's hand reached around her head, pulling her into his chest as he closed his eyes in a quiet attempt at once again hunting down sleep. Kyra felt his heartbeat at her forehead, steadily listening for it to begin to soften, signaling his falling asleep, though it didn't come. Still in thought by his words, however, she went ahead and dropped the question that pained her the most, figuring this would be as good of time as any.

"Colin…" she quietly spoke up.

"Hmm," he replied sleepily, his chest vibrating along her face as he did so.

She silently mulled over her words, her eyes slanting barely into small lines of moonlight, "You'll be there for our children, and their children, even after I'm gone, won't you?"

For the longest of moments, she was met only with silence, as well as a tug in her heart. She closed her eyes, starlight droplets collecting there as she sadly pressed against her lover, brokenhearted, already, by his recusal of Elune's gift for him, and even now, apparently choosing her over immortality itself. Such a gift, she thought; she wasn't worthy of such a thing being squandered in her name.

"What was it Ysera herself said?" Colin asked aloud, not leaving much room for an answer as he went on, "Where one of us goes, the other is sure-"

"Not when things have changed so much," Kyra interrupted.

Colin replied, easily enough, "Do you think it's me being selfish?"

"Maybe not to me, but certainly to all of our children and their children, and even their children," Kyra, more or less, accused, though with a light enough tone so as to not incite argument.

Colin's tug increased around her head, pulling her closer as his steady voice swirled through the air, "I'll just have to see how much I ache without the love of my life."

Kyra's eyes lowered, narrowing as ripples of sadness flowed through her, a strain of resilience coursing through to her tongue as she finished with one last challenge, "Promise the woman you love that you'll be there for our children. forever."

He didn't immediately respond, leaving Kyra's mind to wonder what the holdup could have been, though, suddenly enough, Colin's voice reemerged.

"Promise."

A sigh of relief escaped Kyra as curled up against him, once again seeking out sleep as weariness approached her, causing her to not notice the slightest of rapidity streaking across Colin's heartbeat as he spoke that. He still had no idea what life without this woman would be; it was a concept that was so easy when he was the one destined to pass on first. But now, with the roles reversed, there was an inevitable emptiness in his mind when thinking of the most distant future.

Luckily, he knew as well, that was a whole world that was still lifetimes away for him.

He reached down and yanked the blanket up over Kyra's head to his shoulder, knowing she enjoyed the darkness that came with such concealment. Just as surely as he'd done so, he buried his arm underneath the thick comforter, running it between their two bodies until Kyra happily wrapped her own pair around it, her fingers so delicately stroking against his skin as if taking in its warmth.

"I love you," she spoke, just muffled by the blanket surrounding her, "Now and forever."

Colin smiled, "I love you dearly. Now and forever."


	49. An Unexpected Departure

Lost so deeply in sleep, Colin's mind fell into the depths of his dreams, the fragments of his memories collecting and coalescing right into momentary amalgamations of hazy whispers behind his eyes. Points from his time in Northrend would intersect with old memories from Theramore or Echo Isles or wherever, creating rather odd moments of fake time in his dreams. Oftentimes they felt so real; real enough that, when he awoke, he had thought they were legitimate memories of his, sometimes even resulting in a cold sweat.

Tonight, however, his mind was lost in a beautiful collection of Teldrassil, though its massive boughs were rendered invisible, leaving the lush landscape open to the light of the moon above. He was walking the paths from one settlement to another, hand in hand with his beloved, sharing glances with this dream woman, who just happened to truly be his dream woman. It reminded him, even in this dreamscape, of the same escape he sought in his sleep upon returning home from his first trip to Teldrassil, the murderous painting of dead orcs plastering his mind until the look of Kyra Shadowmoon soothed him with a mere thought.

Slowly, Kyra's visage faded away, along with the rest of his dream, as his body lulled back into a period of light sleep, his mind once again going blank as his mind churned. In this darkness, however, his eyelids twitched, subconsciously reacting to a light that just entered the two's bedroom on this dark night of the new moon. A still, voyeuring pair of eyes remained just at the frame of the door, almost peeking in on the two bodies that slept at one another's side.

Colin's eyelids fluttered again, his body slowly rousing awake from the foreign sensation at his eyes, gradually opening to the view of the wooden planks of the roof, wondering why he had awoke, still this late into the night. As his eyes adjusted, he suddenly became aware of the soft light coming from the door, and his head quickly shot up, his face turning in shock as he came eye to eye with those two bright orbs staring right back at him.

His arms slowly pulled out from underneath the blankets as his hands slid silently along as well, ready to defend himself if need be, so full of a mounting fright that he'd forgotten the Silverwing sleeping right beside him. Still, as his face drained toward a more serious expression, the two eyes pulled up in amusement, tilting to the side as Colin just barely made out the shape of the person's figure slanting against the frame of the door.

Colin's face slowly spun in confusion as his eyes shrunk, peering through the darkness at the figure before quietly muttering aloud, "Vylira..?"

The body suddenly pushed off from the frame, the eyes quickly falling forward before disappearing as the very shape of Vylira took a bow, quietly returning to her standing position as she replied, nearly in a light whisper, "The one and only."

Now slightly upset by her sudden intrusion, Colin groaned, rubbing his face, "With a friend like you, I must not be in need of enemies. What are you doing here?"

"Watching my little sister sleeping," she answered, simply.

Colin continued, pithily, "No, what are you doing sneaking into our home in the middle of the night giving me a heart attack?"

Vylira grinned lightly, shrugging as she crossed her arms, her shoulder leaning back against the frame of the door, "I just wanted to watch my little sister sleep."

Unable to ignore the sweetly sentimental tone in her voice, Colin's perturbed attitude slowly melted away, his brow instead rising curiously as Vylira's head tilted to the side, rested against the door above her shoulder as she looked, almost sadly. Colin still couldn't see much of anything beyond her eyes or the faintest outline of her body, but he could still tell that she had something on her mind, if only by how the light of her eyes had been shaped by turned eyelids.

"I used to do this all the time when she was growing up. Watch her sleep, I mean," Vylira explained, softly, "I would often wonder whether or not she'd ever leave that bed back home. It was some fel magic or something; she was always I'll with something, often to the point where she couldn't stand up at all. I spent hours, worried. Worried that she would miss out on so much in life."

She released a slight sigh before going on, "Now she's living here in Stonetalon, sleeping, curled up to her mate, with some roughshod garden out front."

Colin's lips turned sour, "I mean, we tried…"

Vylira chuckled lightly, tilting her head toward a shrugging shoulder in indifference, "Whatever. In any case, I wanted to make sure I saw her again. Quite poetic, I suppose, to see her life this, taking me back so many years."

Slowly, Colin's eyes lowered curiously as he stared across the room, "…did something happen?"

The faint light of her eyes lowered along with her head, dread filling her voice, "I checked in with my Sisters up north about that pain that surrounded my neck. Turns out I didn't exactly return from Northrend unscathed."

A chill ran down the back of Colin's scalp, fleeing along his spine as a cold sweat nearly broke out along his forehead. He watched the dark outline of Vylira in horror, only imagining what she might have been referring to. He slowly pushed himself back to where he was sitting against the headboard, feeling Kyra's sleep-filled hand curl back into herself as he pulled away, staring pensively toward her sister. He brought a hand up, his palm gradually radiating with heat until a small ball of fire appeared, illuminating his hand and the bed surrounding him.

He lifted his hand so that his palm turned toward Vylira, the fireball slowly floating across the room, lighting up a circular pattern along the bed, and soon enough, the floor as it hovered closer toward the door. Vylira remained unmoved as the flame approached her, its licks and bursts of fire remaining mostly still, matching the serious expression along Colin's face, which Vylira could no longer see, the top of the bed being obscured by the soft light before her. Suddenly, as her body came into illumination, the flame began to flicker wildly in time with Colin's speeding heartbeat and his breath, which took a quiet gasp upon seeing the condition that this Silverwing was in.

She was staring back at him with a plain look on her face, which appeared just as normal as ever; her lavender skin nearly hidden behind snow white tufts of hair that fell before it. Then, as Colin had immediately noticed, came her neck, which had turned an almost jet black, the color wrapping around her in a sickly band that swirled around there, tapering off and running down in a thin line down her chest, as far as Colin could see before running into her shirt.

"It's not terribly bad," Vylira noted, rather easily, reaching up and pulling at her collar to stare down her body, "I mean, it looks worse when it gets down there, but you only wish you could-"

"What happened?" Colin interrupted, not at all amused by her joking.

She sighed, "That whole ordeal up in Northrend with that satyr-demon. I told you, it had me coiled in something; it seems to have left a mark after all- it just appeared a few days ago."

Shrugging, she reached out her hand to wave away the flame, Colin snuffing it out with a clenched hand as darkness immediately consumed the room once again, "It doesn't hurt or anything, just- The Sisters told me to go back to Darnassus. See what the Priestesses say about it. Given the circumstances though…"

Colin was still slightly laboring under his heavy breaths from his surprise, slowly reaching over toward Kyra, though Vylira was quick to stop him, "No. Don't wake her. Trust me, the last thing I want is for her to see me like this… I just wanted to come see _her_ before going back. In case I don't get a chance again anytime soon."

He pulled away his hand, respecting her wishes as he turned his head down reverently, listening intently as Vylira went on, "More than anything, fighting for her mattered more to me than anything else. More than our people, even; they never _needed_ my help. They always had others. But Kyra, you know… She truly needed a loving sister. Needed _me_."

She grew silent in thought, simply staring off into the darkness at the spot in the bed where Kyra's head just barely poked out, her forehead curling up sadly, or perhaps simply in nostalgia. She sighed, pulling her crossed arms apart as she stood up straight, adjusting her sleeves before turning her head out the door.

"I guess I should go now."

Colin quickly spoke up, "Before you go. Go look in the bathroom cabinet, should be the one on the left. It should complete your set. Bring it back and say a proper goodbye for once, alright?"

Vylira had turned back toward him and simply gave a nod, her eyes suddenly moving as such in the darkness before they disappeared, her light footsteps just barely ringing out back to Colin's ears. She made her way across the hall and into the meager bathroom the two had managed to build, doing her best to make her way deeper into the room through the pitch-blackness.

She silently opened the cabinet door, immediately noticing a purple, towel-like item sitting there. Curiously, her head tilted to the side as she reached in to grab it, gently pulling it along before it flopped downward in the air, her other hand slowly reaching up to push it up so that she could examine the square-shaped item, folded up for storage. Sure enough, it was indeed a bathrobe, dyed an orchid color with the unmistakable embroidery of a large, white 'V' at its chest, in heavily stylized print.

Vylira's lips pulled inward as the drop of a tear appeared at the edge of her eye, suddenly falling along her cheek before falling to the ground with a twinkle of starlight before both of her eyes were soon filled with a multitude of tears, which was matter that Vylira was far too unfamiliar with by now. She quickly pulled the robe into her face as her body fell back into the wall, covering her silent crying with the gift that was far more meaningful to her than any other word or deed. She was truly wanted here.

Colin sat there in bed for a few moments before a sudden tug at his heart appeared, his eyes curiously turning up toward the door, still finding that spot vacant. He bit his lip, wondering what might have been taking her, and becoming slightly worried, he spun his body to the edge of the bed, pushing himself to his feet as a particularly lovely sigh escaped from Kyra, who'd woken up from his movement and had taken to stretching out her whole body across the entire length of the bed.

"Mmmmwhat's up?" she asked, still slightly delirious as Colin smiled down at her, reaching over to take her hand into his as she stretched it out toward him.

"Nothing," he clarified, "I'll be back; I just need something to drink."

Kyra groaned sleepily as his hand escaped her, leaving Kyra to stretch once again before curling up beneath her pillow as she squeezed it against her head, "After dealing with me like last night, I'm sure you do."

Now slightly afraid that Vylira had heard such words, Colin walked quickly toward the hallway, swinging his arms heavily as if he was trying to rush only quietly until he reached the threshold of the door, finding the entryway to the bathroom to have been empty as well. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he walked across the hallway and into the bathroom, his shoulders dropping as he found it vacant as well, with only the open cabinet as evidence that Vylira had even been there.

He sighed, shaking his head drolly as he made his way further into the bathroom, reaching up to close the door before approaching it, stopping in his tracks as his eyes locked on to the robe sitting there, obviously eschew from how it had been left by him. His arm dropped to the side, his eyes watching the robe for a moment as if he couldn't be sure whether or not it was even there. He slowly, reverently, reached up to grab at it, slowly pulling it out to view it, his brow gradually falling as he saw the dark stains along its front.

Colin quickly looked up toward the door, as if expecting Vylira to be there, though all he saw was the length of the hallway leading down the house. His lips tugged to the side, sadly, before he placed the folded up robe back in the cabinet, crossing his arms as he thought of that Silverwing and what could have possibly brought her to tears. That must have been why she hadn't returned to say goodbye, he thought.

She truly was something when it came to exits.


	50. Epilogue: Nothing but the Future

Colin hopped off the small wagon with a sharp gasp of relief upon hitting the ground, wiping off his pants before heading over toward the few bags of supplies they had left, grinning under Kyra's watchful eyes, "What?"

"Nothing," she answered with a smile of her own, tossing a duffel bag into the wagon, "I'm just excited is all. I mean, I _have_ been for a week now; I'm surprised you haven't noticed I've been wearing a smile for about that long now."

Colin replied, "I noticed; I just figured it was my good looks and charm or something."

She playfully smacked his arm, cocking a wily sort of smirk at him, "You wish."

Continuing to pack up the wagon, the two of them finished up what bags were left, though only two or three would be accompanying them for the full journey. As was tradition, the rest of their luggage was mostly gifts to be handed out, mostly to Kyra's Sisters she'd served with in Ashenvale, though a meager amount was left for people upon Teldrassil, who often thought themselves unneeding of gifts, given their home lives. Still, Kyra managed some trinkets for Tyriel and a few other superiors while also finding time to plan for gifts for her parents, both of whom had made it clear they desired nothing but her happiness.

"All lies," Kyra clarified, snorting defiantly, "They've never been this far south of Hyjal in their lives. They're gonna want _something_ ; if I don't bring anything, I know father will use every chance he gets to rummage through my backpack looking for some sort of gift that might be for him."

Colin laughed, "That bad, huh? Well, at least that's not even something to worry about now. What all did you settle on?"

"Well," Kyra prepared, pulling one of the bags along the bed of the wagon, opening it up to show Colin, "I have that statuette we bought in Ratchet of the raptor; it's really nice, and should go well with Nyl's carved creatures he left at home with them. That was back when he was into animal husbandry; he'd spend hours watching animals just to learn how they got together and all that, trying to figure out under which moon more successful births would occur on or whatever. Obviously, I wasn't too interested in hanging out with _him_ during that time, but all that time he had, waiting, he got a lot of carving done in the meantime."

"Huh. He doesn't strike me as the 'animal husbandry' type," Colin noted with a shrug.

Kyra admitted, "Not really; he went into the Cenarion Circle not long after that. He told us to get rid of his carvings, but mother always enjoyed his work."

As she spoke, she continued rummaging, "Oh, and I packed my dress to show off to her while we're there."

At that, Colin blushed, "O-Oh, are you sure they need to know that kind of stuff?"

"Why not?" Kyra asked, teasingly, "You _do_ know what being somebody's 'mate' implies, correct?"

This did nothing to relieve Colin's embarrassment, but he turned away regardless as Kyra went on "Besides, I feel pretty in it. It's like you chose it to be what you want to see me wearing most. You know; I'm not just pretty, but I'm pretty in your eyes."

Colin frowned, "I mean, when you say it like that…"

She quickly leaned toward him, taking him into a quick hug as she finished, "I'll say it however I want, my love. Now, have we everything we need?"

Colin sighed, just now coming down off his blush, before digging his hand into his pocket and pulling out a slip of paper, "Uh… Yep, looks like it. I crossed out 'handmade pastries' since they wouldn't survive the trip, but I did notice you adding some to a bag."

"It'll be fine for my Sisters. They'll be happy to know I picked up some cooking skills; I was out on patrol one night, by myself, with only a stalk of herbs to nibble on for a night or two," Kyra reminisced, unhappily, "They were quite upset when I returned; we're supposed to be-"

She cleared her throat, putting out her chest dramatically as she took on a deep voice, most likely impersonating a superior of hers, "Had I known you had the same ability as a boar when it came to cooking, I'd have sent you to the orcs where you might have at least pilfered a stewed corpse!"

Colin replied, amused, "Talk about hardcore."

"Yes," Kyra murmured, unhappily, "Needless to say, I was up the whole night trying to braise whatever critter I could come across. Our bodies are weapons just the same; we're expected to nourish them accordingly, and especially in the lush lands of Ashenvale, along with our comradery, we're also expected to make it somewhat tasty."

"So, they'll be happy to see that I've expanded my horizons somewhat," Kyra shrugged, smiling as she turned toward Colin, "Plus, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to meet the reason why I no longer am a part of them."

Colin rubbed his arm nervously, "Great. I'm definitely sure 'thrilled' is the right word to describe it."

"Come on; I wasn't _that_ good," Kyra rolled her eyes, "Especially considering Vylira, I had shoes I had no reason to even attempt to fill. I'm sure a few of them were happy to be rid of me deep down."

She carefully put away the pastries before sliding the bag along the wagon, patting her hands against its wooden frame as she released a vigorously enthusiastic sigh, smiling up toward the sky, "Ahhh! Well, my darling, shall we be going?"

Colin shrugged, "I see nothing missing, so I see no reason to stay any longer. Unless there's some nostalgic reason."

Kyra smiled, her mi d wandering as she spoke, "My heart is stuck between two homes I'm bound to. If I'm not homesick for _this_ home, I'm homesick for Teldrassil. You know, you've truly ruined me."

She threw a wry grin his way as Colin scoffed weakly, "Oh please, Ms. Shadowmoon. I believe you were the one who wanted so desperately to leave your home. You hate hippogryphs more than a plate of mushrooms yet you were so ready to leave that you hopped on top of one to come catch me."

She shrugged, "I was charmed by you being a man of the world. "

"And a tad impulsive."

Kyra agreed, easily, "And a tad impulsive, yes."

The two of them made their way up to the front of the horseless wagon, stepping into the small vehicle and making themselves as comfortable as they could be, which included Kyra wrapping a thin blanket around her to keep warm in the blustery wind of Stonetalon. Colin was busy running his hands together, sparks flying out toward the front of the wagon as he worked up a spell within his fingers, the wagon suddenly jerking up into the air a few inches before lurching forward.

"Voila!" Colin exclaimed happily, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat while the wagon slowly went along, "You couldn't get this kind of service with another man, that's for sure."

At Kyra's silent reply, Colin turned to her, noticing her fingers slowly extending as she quietly counted in her head, leaving Colin with a weak frown, "Okay, okay; maybe a few others."

"Dalaran is still aloft correct?" Kyra asked, feigning sincerity before grinning sneakily.

Colin's eyes rolled pithily, his lips curling in dissatisfaction as he sighed, "Yeah, yeah."

Having had her fun, Kyra scooted closer toward him, enough that their shoulders touched, leaving her to turn her head up toward his, their faces meeting one another's while she smiled, concluding simply, "Service with a smile, right?"

Colin acquiesced, offering an easy smile as he sighed, "I suppose so."

Kyra's lips led the way as she gave him the slightest, loving peck on the lips before turning her head and nuzzling her face into his neck for a moment, "There's no one else on this world like you."

Shrugging, Colin only cocked a grin, "Well now you're just showing off."

Kyra only smiled as she curled up closer to her mate, comforted by the gently rocking of the wagon as it slowly began to swerve down one of the divots in the mountain peaks, beginning its descent toward the desert at its foot. The same contraption that had so impressed Eldris worked tirelessly as it went, Colin's magic ensuring it worked consistently regardless of decline, allowing for the two to simply enjoy its steady movements.

"So, the Echo Isles," Colin spoke up aloud, "Any reason?"

Kyra thought for a moment before meandering toward an answer, "I don't know. Just seemed pretty neat to see, as long as they're fine with having some night elf trouncing around."

"Believe me, a human is far more unwanted," Colin assured readily, "I'm sure my silver tongue will serve us well in that respect, though. The first time I ever showed up, even though my broken-as-a-gnome's-wizzwaz speech, they were almost mystified to see Zadalari coming from a human, almost like it was biologically impossible. Though, truly, there are some concepts and conjugations that a human tongue can't replicate, but you learn to get around them, though even that's easy; I rarely speak of the Loa anyway, and most of it's on the theological side where the language gets-"

He turned to Kyra, whose eyes were locked onto his face, which dropped dispassionately as he concluded, "I'm boring you."

"Not at all," she smiled, "I love hearing you excited. Maybe that's why I chose the isles first."

Colin's face warped into a gracious look as he smiled lightly, a pang running through his chest as he realized, for a single time out of an truly infinitesimal number, how much he loved and adored this woman. Kyra only lowered her head onto his shoulder, her eyes peering out into the vast distance, making out the gray landscape of Desolace just over a fair collection of mountaintops.

"Care to continue?" she asked.

Colin chuckled, nodding as his head rested atop of her own, "Well, there's one sound that goes something like 'zzztithhhh' but with a sort of wiry depth to it. The first time I'd heard it, it was so magnanimously foreign, like the idea of seeing a brand new color. But apparently it refers to the nature of the Loa in a very general sense, like their very essence in this world, but in a…"

They rolled along, with only the world before them. Having overcome moonkin, orcs, the vastness between Ashenvale and Stormwind for a year; having come out from beneath the fierce eyes of the Dragon Aspects, survived one another in Booty Bay, and challenging Kyra's eldest brother and even winning against the death of Kyra's father. Having survived everything the wild wastes of Northrend could throw their way, they had nothing to face but their own future.

But, of course, that's never the case. For when you live so many years, so many more lifetimes, it's never really that easy.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all so much for this incredible ride. I began this back in August of 2016, an in that year and a half or so, this whole adventure has consumed to much of my life. So many lunch breaks, getting home from work and rushing to get through my college work so I could get to writing more of this; this story even followed me through me getting my very own apartment, the first time I've ever been on my own, and to my own little nook where I sit at my desk, wringing out whatever time I can to write when all I want to do is fall into bed and sleep.

Of course, I had all these readers and reviewers along for the ride, and truly, you all made it far more easy than 721 pages and a 250,000 word count should ever be (I'm totally getting this printed out for my bookshelf, so these are relevant statistics :p) Nothing made me more excited or more motivated to continue that hearing how, even one of you, were just as invested into the story as I was, and for that, I can never be more thankful. I often think about how to describe the feeling of reading one of your reviews, and I have yet to compose anything of an adequate submission. Thankfully, I'll have plenty more stories to figure it out, just maybe :)

So, while this concluded this main sort of trilogy, I'm far from finished with these characters or these stories. I'm most certainly going to be writing an Eldris/Cayssarin story, if only because, since I wrote them into Reconcilliation, I've have bad ass images in my mind of Illidari versus Shadowleaves, and I'm stoked to finally write something down! Of course, this stream of 'Two Moons' chapters has left my Overwatch stories heavily neglected, and I will indeed be returning to those for some time- I'm a bit fantasy-d out :p After that, I also have plenty of Kyra/Colin adventures to follow them on, though they will be single stories that are far less extensive than this one. At some point, I have plenty of thoughts in my mind for a 'finale' story between the two of them as well, just for those craving closure :p

Anyway, again, I can't thank you all enough for your time, attention, and enthusiasm. I could easily say I'd be writing these with or without an audience, but honestly, you're all the ones powering these vessels I call fingers, clacking away at a keyboard.

Your support means more to me than any of you will ever know.

Thanks again, and I hope my future stories will keep you just as entertained as this one. Have a great day, and be sure to work on your Zandalari for the next adventure :p


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